Gwynedd planning approval rate
Gwynedd council approved 88.6% of planning applications and refused 11.4%, based on 11,039 decisions analysed. Ranked 96th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
88.6%
overall approval rate
11,039
Decisions analysed
9,780
Approved
1,259
Refused
77
Wards covered
Planning in Gwynedd? 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 Gwynedd. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
88.6%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Gwynedd, mined from 11,039 proposal descriptions.
91.4%
85.8%
86.6%
93.7%
79.1%
92.7%
84.4%
95.9%
78.8%
91.5%
88.4%
88.9%
64.9%
69.7%
92.6%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Gwynedd. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Abersoch
84.6%
Llanystumdwy
86.5%
Porthmadog (West)
89.8%
Criccieth
88.3%
Llanengan
80.1%
Tregarth & Mynydd Llandygai
88.6%
Efailnewydd / Buan
87.1%
Abersoch gyda Llanengan
80.3%
Groeslon
83.9%
Llanwnda
85.5%
Bethel a'r Felinheli
89.5%
Penrhyndeudraeth
93.6%
Arllechwedd
91.2%
Seiont (Caernarfon)
95.8%
Y Felinheli
86.2%
Aberdaron
89.0%
Abermaw
92.2%
Llanberis
91.3%
Pwllheli (North)
93.7%
Pentir
88.9%
Wards in Gwynedd
Abersoch
84.6% approval · 389 decisions
Llanystumdwy
86.5% approval · 362 decisions
Porthmadog (West)
89.8% approval · 313 decisions
Criccieth
88.3% approval · 309 decisions
Llanengan
80.1% approval · 266 decisions
Tregarth & Mynydd Llandygai
88.6% approval · 263 decisions
Efailnewydd / Buan
87.1% approval · 240 decisions
Abersoch gyda Llanengan
80.3% approval · 223 decisions
Groeslon
83.9% approval · 223 decisions
Llanwnda
85.5% approval · 221 decisions
Bethel a'r Felinheli
89.5% approval · 219 decisions
Penrhyndeudraeth
93.6% approval · 218 decisions
Arllechwedd
91.2% approval · 217 decisions
Seiont (Caernarfon)
95.8% approval · 213 decisions
Y Felinheli
86.2% approval · 210 decisions
Aberdaron
89.0% approval · 209 decisions
Abermaw
92.2% approval · 206 decisions
Llanberis
91.3% approval · 206 decisions
Pwllheli (North)
93.7% approval · 205 decisions
Pentir
88.9% approval · 199 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Gwynedd, showing how the council decides real applications.
Dymchwel sied bresennol a chodi estyniad deulawr i gefn yr eiddo. Demolition of · Porthmadog (East) · 2026-08-10
Gwasanaethau ger ymyl ffordd a gwaith cysylltiedig. Roadside services and associ · Bontnewydd · 2026-08-03
Codi balconi hygyrch i ddefnyddwyr cadair olwyn ar gefn yr eiddo. Erection of a · Menai (Caernarfon) · 2026-08-03
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Gwynedd, 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 Gwynedd
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Gwynedd →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Gwynedd
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 11,039 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Gwynedd
What is the planning approval rate in Gwynedd?
Based on 11,039 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Gwynedd approved 88.6% of applications and refused 11.4%. The council is ranked 96th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Gwynedd?
Gwynedd refuses 11.4% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 9. That is close to the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 11,039 decided applications since 2020, 1,259 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Gwynedd have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Gwynedd are in Pwllheli (South) (98.6%), Dwyrain Bangor (98.6%), and Seiont (Caernarfon) (95.8%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Gwynedd?
The most common planning application types in Gwynedd are: Other (11,039 decisions, 88.6% approved).
How long does a planning application take in Gwynedd?
Most planning applications in Gwynedd are decided within 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments, the statutory targets set by central government. With 11,039 decisions analysed since 2020, Gwynedd processes approximately 1,840 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Gwynedd?
You can search planning applications in Gwynedd directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 11,039 historical decisions in Gwynedd to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Gwynedd calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Gwynedd'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.