Kirklees planning approval rate
Kirklees council approved 86.3% of planning applications and refused 13.7%, based on 29,619 decisions analysed. Ranked 61st out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
86.3%
overall approval rate
29,619
Decisions analysed
25,571
Approved
4,048
Refused
23
Wards covered
Planning in Kirklees? 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 Kirklees. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
86.3%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Kirklees, mined from 29,619 proposal descriptions.
89.2%
86.1%
88.4%
89.6%
90.5%
84.3%
86.1%
84.8%
89.1%
93.4%
84.9%
78.9%
82.2%
82.5%
77.0%
77.4%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Kirklees. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Holme Valley South
87.7%
Kirkburton Ward
88.7%
Holme Valley North
84.9%
Denby Dale
87.3%
Colne Valley
87.8%
Lindley
85.3%
Newsome
87.9%
Greenhead
86.2%
Mirfield Ward
84.4%
Dewsbury West
80.1%
Birstall and Birkenshaw
86.3%
Liversedge and Gomersal
86.0%
Almondbury Ward
88.8%
Golcar Ward
88.3%
Cleckheaton Ward
85.6%
Batley East
84.3%
Dewsbury South
83.5%
Ashbrow
84.7%
Crosland Moor and Netherton
84.1%
Dalton Ward
90.3%
Wards in Kirklees
Holme Valley South
87.7% approval · 2,528 decisions
Kirkburton Ward
88.7% approval · 2,049 decisions
Holme Valley North
84.9% approval · 1,943 decisions
Denby Dale
87.3% approval · 1,761 decisions
Colne Valley
87.8% approval · 1,621 decisions
Lindley
85.3% approval · 1,547 decisions
Newsome
87.9% approval · 1,509 decisions
Greenhead
86.2% approval · 1,424 decisions
Mirfield Ward
84.4% approval · 1,323 decisions
Dewsbury West
80.1% approval · 1,221 decisions
Birstall and Birkenshaw
86.3% approval · 1,167 decisions
Liversedge and Gomersal
86.0% approval · 1,133 decisions
Almondbury Ward
88.8% approval · 1,086 decisions
Golcar Ward
88.3% approval · 1,071 decisions
Cleckheaton Ward
85.6% approval · 1,069 decisions
Batley East
84.3% approval · 992 decisions
Dewsbury South
83.5% approval · 992 decisions
Ashbrow
84.7% approval · 974 decisions
Crosland Moor and Netherton
84.1% approval · 913 decisions
Dalton Ward
90.3% approval · 874 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Kirklees, showing how the council decides real applications.
2025/93527
Removal of existing agricultural buildings and erection of replacement agricultu · Holme Valley South · 2026-03-13
2025/92996
Erection of single storey side extension with attached garage extension, raising · Batley East · 2026-03-13
2025/92787
Change of use of existing building from class E(g) to Class C3 residential for 7 · Ashbrow · 2026-03-13
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Kirklees, 1 in 7 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 Kirklees
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Kirklees →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Kirklees
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 29,619 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Kirklees
What is the planning approval rate in Kirklees?
Based on 29,619 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Kirklees approved 86.3% of applications and refused 13.7%. The council is ranked 61st out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Kirklees?
Kirklees refuses 13.7% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 7. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 29,619 decided applications since 2020, 4,048 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Kirklees have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Kirklees are in Dalton Ward (90.3%), Almondbury Ward (88.8%), and Kirkburton Ward (88.7%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Kirklees?
The most common planning application types in Kirklees are: Other (29,619 decisions, 86.3% approved).
How long does a planning application take in Kirklees?
Planning applications in Kirklees take an average of 12.9 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 29,344 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. Kirklees decides approximately 4,936 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Kirklees?
You can search planning applications in Kirklees directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 29,619 historical decisions in Kirklees to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Kirklees calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Kirklees' 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.