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Chorley planning approval rate

Chorley council approved 93.1% of planning applications and refused 6.9%, based on 4,216 decisions analysed. Ranked 183rd out of 284 councils for strictness.

Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

93.1%
overall approval rate
4,216
Decisions analysed
3,925
Approved
291
Refused
30
Wards covered
Planning in Chorley? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.

Approval rate by application type

Different application types have different approval rates in Chorley. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.

Full (1,717 decided)
95.6%
Other (1,302 decided)
93.1%
Trees (510 decided)
91.0%
78.2%
Prior Approval (219 decided)
95.0%
Listed Building (87 decided)
95.4%
Advertisement (80 decided)
95.0%
Change of Use (35 decided)
91.4%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Chorley, mined from 4,216 proposal descriptions.

Rear Extension (1,003 decided)
93.1%
Garage / Parking (511 decided)
92.4%
Side Extension (421 decided)
93.3%
Conservatory (326 decided)
93.6%
New Build (301 decided)
90.0%
Extension (General) (237 decided)
94.5%
Dormer (160 decided)
93.1%
Outbuilding (157 decided)
86.6%
93.1%
Front Extension (87 decided)
92.0%
100.0%
HMO (23 decided)
78.3%
Loft Conversion (18 decided)
100.0%
Annex (16 decided)
93.8%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Chorley. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

Lostock (286 decided)
96.2%
Chorley North East (284 decided)
93.0%
Croston, Mawdesley And Euxton South (269 decided)
94.1%
Adlington And Anderton (250 decided)
92.0%
Eccleston And Mawdesley (243 decided)
92.2%
Chorley North West (239 decided)
94.6%
Coppull (170 decided)
91.2%
Clayton-le-Woods And Whittle-le-Woods (164 decided)
92.1%
Chorley South East (161 decided)
91.9%
Chisnall (152 decided)
94.1%
Wheelton And Withnell (149 decided)
95.3%
Eccleston, Heskin And Charnock Richard (147 decided)
87.8%
Chorley South West (137 decided)
93.4%
Euxton North (124 decided)
94.4%
Euxton South (117 decided)
92.3%
Clayton East, Brindle And Hoghton (111 decided)
95.5%
Brindle And Hoghton (110 decided)
93.6%
Pennine (110 decided)
94.5%
Chorley East (109 decided)
91.7%
Astley And Buckshaw (109 decided)
96.3%

Wards in Chorley

Lostock
96.2% approval · 286 decisions
Chorley North East
93.0% approval · 284 decisions
Croston, Mawdesley And Euxton South
94.1% approval · 269 decisions
Adlington And Anderton
92.0% approval · 250 decisions
Eccleston And Mawdesley
92.2% approval · 243 decisions
Chorley North West
94.6% approval · 239 decisions
Coppull
91.2% approval · 170 decisions
Clayton-le-Woods And Whittle-le-Woods
92.1% approval · 164 decisions
Chorley South East
91.9% approval · 161 decisions
Chisnall
94.1% approval · 152 decisions
Wheelton And Withnell
95.3% approval · 149 decisions
Eccleston, Heskin And Charnock Richard
87.8% approval · 147 decisions
Chorley South West
93.4% approval · 137 decisions
Euxton North
94.4% approval · 124 decisions
Euxton South
92.3% approval · 117 decisions
Clayton East, Brindle And Hoghton
95.5% approval · 111 decisions
Brindle And Hoghton
93.6% approval · 110 decisions
Pennine
94.5% approval · 110 decisions
Chorley East
91.7% approval · 109 decisions
Astley And Buckshaw
96.3% approval · 109 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Chorley, showing how the council decides real applications.

Erection of 1no. detached bungalow following demolition of existing garage · Buckshaw And Whittle · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Approved
Extension of an existing agricultural (cattle) building. · Eccleston, Heskin And Charnock Richard · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Approved
Change of use of a parcel of land from agricultural use to residential garden la · Chorley North East · Fri 19 Jun 2026
Approved

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Chorley, 1 in 14 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:

✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Chorley
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Chorley →

Free. Based on 4,216 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

Frequently asked questions about planning in Chorley

What is the planning approval rate in Chorley?
Based on 4,216 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Chorley approved 93.1% of applications and refused 6.9%. The council is ranked 183rd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Chorley?
Chorley refuses 6.9% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 14. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 4,216 decided applications since 2020, 291 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Chorley have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Chorley are in - (100.0%), Astley And Buckshaw (96.3%), and Lostock (96.2%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Chorley?
The most common planning application types in Chorley are: Full (1,717 decisions, 95.6% approved), Other (1,302, 93.1%), and Trees (510, 91.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Chorley?
Planning applications in Chorley take an average of 11.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 702 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Chorley decides approximately 703 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Chorley?
You can search planning applications in Chorley directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 4,216 historical decisions in Chorley to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Chorley calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Chorley's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.
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