Dudley planning approval rate
Dudley council approved 89.4% of planning applications and refused 10.6%, based on 13,083 decisions analysed. Ranked 108th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
89.4%
overall approval rate
13,083
Decisions analysed
11,699
Approved
1,384
Refused
56
Wards covered
Planning in Dudley? 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 Dudley. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
89.5%
75.3%
97.8%
94.6%
100.0%
92.8%
80.2%
92.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Dudley, mined from 13,083 proposal descriptions.
94.3%
92.8%
90.8%
91.2%
75.9%
93.1%
87.1%
85.2%
96.1%
85.0%
93.4%
63.6%
51.2%
100.0%
82.8%
72.2%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Dudley. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Wollaston and Stourbridge Town Ward
90.7%
Norton Ward
93.9%
Halesowen South Ward
88.1%
Pedmore and Stourbridge East Ward
86.4%
Kingswinford South Ward
90.8%
Kingswinford North and Wall Heath Ward
89.8%
Sedgley Ward
82.9%
Halesowen North Ward
87.2%
St. Thomas's Ward
85.5%
Castle and Priory Ward
88.4%
Hayley Green and Cradley South Ward
92.0%
St. James's Ward
85.9%
Brierley Hill Ward
91.5%
Netherton, Woodside and St. Andrews Ward
89.2%
Gornal Ward
88.8%
Belle Vale Ward
83.8%
Brockmoor and Pensnett Ward
89.2%
Amblecote Ward
89.2%
Wordsley Ward
89.9%
Norton
93.7%
Wards in Dudley
Wollaston and Stourbridge Town Ward
90.7% approval · 562 decisions
Norton Ward
93.9% approval · 545 decisions
Halesowen South Ward
88.1% approval · 536 decisions
Pedmore and Stourbridge East Ward
86.4% approval · 493 decisions
Kingswinford South Ward
90.8% approval · 469 decisions
Kingswinford North and Wall Heath Ward
89.8% approval · 459 decisions
Sedgley Ward
82.9% approval · 421 decisions
Halesowen North Ward
87.2% approval · 407 decisions
St. Thomas's Ward
85.5% approval · 399 decisions
Castle and Priory Ward
88.4% approval · 389 decisions
Hayley Green and Cradley South Ward
92.0% approval · 376 decisions
St. James's Ward
85.9% approval · 369 decisions
Brierley Hill Ward
91.5% approval · 366 decisions
Netherton, Woodside and St. Andrews Ward
89.2% approval · 333 decisions
Gornal Ward
88.8% approval · 320 decisions
Belle Vale Ward
83.8% approval · 315 decisions
Brockmoor and Pensnett Ward
89.2% approval · 305 decisions
Amblecote Ward
89.2% approval · 286 decisions
Wordsley Ward
89.9% approval · 276 decisions
Norton
93.7% approval · 271 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Dudley, showing how the council decides real applications.
Lawful development certificate for a proposed outbuilding · Wollaston and Stourbridge Town Ward · 04-Dec-2025
Lawful development certificate for a proposed hip to gable dormer roof extension · Netherton, Woodside and St. Andrews Ward · 01-Dec-2025
Notification of proposed tree works in a Conservation Area to reduce side branch · Norton Ward · 03-Dec-2025
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Dudley, 1 in 9 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 Dudley
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Dudley →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Dudley
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 13,083 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Dudley
What is the planning approval rate in Dudley?
Based on 13,083 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Dudley approved 89.4% of applications and refused 10.6%. The council is ranked 108th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Dudley?
Dudley refuses 10.6% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 9. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 13,083 decided applications since 2020, 1,384 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Dudley have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Dudley are in Gornal (96.4%), Castle and Priory (96.0%), and Netherton Woodside and St Andrews (95.7%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Dudley?
The most common planning application types in Dudley are: Full (8,174 decisions, 89.5% approved), Trees (1,440, 75.3%), and Discharge of Conditions (1,012, 97.8%).
How long does a planning application take in Dudley?
Most planning applications in Dudley are decided within 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments, the statutory targets set by central government. With 13,083 decisions analysed since 2020, Dudley processes approximately 2,180 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Dudley?
You can search planning applications in Dudley directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 13,083 historical decisions in Dudley to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Dudley calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Dudley'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.