Which ward in Lake District NPA has the highest planning approval rate?

KESWICK WARD, Keswick Ward at 100.0% based on 16 decisions.

Which ward in Lake District NPA has the lowest planning approval rate?

LAKES AMBLESIDE WARD, Ambleside and Grasmere Ward at 68.8% based on 16 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Lake District NPA?

There is a 31.2% gap between KESWICK WARD, Keswick Ward and LAKES AMBLESIDE WARD, Ambleside and Grasmere Ward. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Lake District NPA Planning Approval Rates by Ward: 131 Wards Compared (2026)

All 131 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	KESWICK WARD, Keswick Ward	16	16	0	100.0%
2	ULLSWATER WARD, Ullswater Ward	20	20	0	100.0%
3	BOLTONS WARD, Boltons Ward	15	15	0	100.0%
4	Ambleside and Grasmere Ward, Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck Ward	13	13	0	100.0%
5	Levens Ward	25	25	0	100.0%
6	Ambleside and Grasmere Ward, Coniston and Crake Valley Ward	17	17	0	100.0%
7	Hawkshead Ward, Coniston and Crake Valley Ward	17	17	0	100.0%
8	Windermere Bowness North Ward, Windermere Town Ward	17	17	0	100.0%
9	Staveley-in-Cartmel Ward, Windermere Bowness South Ward	29	29	0	100.0%
10	SHAP WARD	44	44	0	100.0%
11	Windermere Bowness North Ward	164	162	2	98.8%
12	DACRE WARD	47	46	1	97.9%
13	WINDERMERE APPLETHWAITE WARD, WINDERMERE BOWNESS SOUTH WARD	38	37	1	97.4%
14	Shap Ward	32	31	1	96.9%
15	Hawkshead Ward, Windermere Bowness South Ward	32	31	1	96.9%
16	ASKHAM WARD	435	418	17	96.1%
17	Warnell Ward	196	188	8	95.9%
18	Windermere Bowness, Hawkshead Ward	24	23	1	95.8%
19	WINDERMERE BOWNESS NORTH WARD, WINDERMERE BOWNESS SOUTH WARD	24	23	1	95.8%
20	Burneside Ward	46	44	2	95.7%
21	Whinfell Ward	45	43	2	95.6%
22	BOOTLE WARD	212	202	10	95.3%
23	Ambleside and Grasmere Ward, Ambleside & Grasmere Ward	41	39	2	95.1%
24	Hawkshead Ward	717	681	36	95.0%
25	Broughton Ward	284	269	15	94.7%
26	ULLSWATER WARD	632	598	34	94.6%
27	KESWICK WARD, BOLTONS WARD	37	35	2	94.6%
28	DERWENT VALLEY WARD	503	475	28	94.4%
29	Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck WA, Windermere Town Ward	36	34	2	94.4%
30	Windermere Bowness	525	494	31	94.1%
31	Windermere Town Ward, Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck Ward	17	16	1	94.1%
32	WINDERMERE APPLETHWAITE WARD, STAVELEY-IN-CARTMEL WARD	17	16	1	94.1%
33	Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck Ward	350	328	22	93.7%
34	LYTH VALLEY WARD	222	208	14	93.7%
35	BOLTONS WARD	343	321	22	93.6%
36	Lyth Valley Ward	681	637	44	93.5%
37	GREYSTOKE WARD	214	200	14	93.5%
38	Coniston and Crake Valley Ward	513	479	34	93.4%
39	MILLOM WITHOUT WARD	209	195	14	93.3%
40	Seascale Ward	74	69	5	93.2%
41	Ullswater Ward	566	527	39	93.1%
42	Derwent Valley Ward	188	175	13	93.1%
43	WARNELL WARD	284	264	20	93.0%
44	Windermere Bowness, Staveley-in-Cartmel Ward	57	53	4	93.0%
45	Cleator Moor East and Frizington Ward	14	13	1	92.9%
46	Greystoke and Ullswater Ward	140	130	10	92.9%
47	Keswick Ward, Boltons Ward	28	26	2	92.9%
48	Ennerdale Ward	42	39	3	92.9%
49	Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck WA	467	434	33	92.9%
50	STAVELEY-IN-WESTMORLAND WARD, Staveley-in-Westmorland Ward	14	13	1	92.9%
51	Windermere Ward	499	463	36	92.8%
52	Askham Ward	375	348	27	92.8%
53	Ambleside and Grasmere Ward	1,655	1,534	121	92.7%
54	Keswick Ward	1,184	1,096	88	92.6%
55	Coniston and Hawkshead Ward	210	194	16	92.4%
56	Greystoke Ward	233	215	18	92.3%
57	Windermere Bowness, Windermere Town Ward	13	12	1	92.3%
58	GOSFORTH WARD	243	224	19	92.2%
59	Windermere Bowness South Ward	498	459	39	92.2%
60	Gosforth Ward	127	117	10	92.1%
61	Staveley-in-Cartmel Ward	655	603	52	92.1%
62	ENNERDALE WARD	101	93	8	92.1%
63	Crummock Ward	221	203	18	91.9%
64	Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck Ward, Windermere Ward	12	11	1	91.7%
65	Hawkshead Ward, Broughton & Coniston Ward	12	11	1	91.7%
66	WINDERMERE APPLETHWAITE WARD, WINDERMERE BOWNESS NORTH WARD	12	11	1	91.7%
67	KESWICK WARD	1,100	1,009	91	91.7%
68	Upper Kent Ward	83	76	7	91.6%
69	Boltons Ward	274	251	23	91.6%
70	Windermere Town Ward	95	87	8	91.6%
71	BURNESIDE WARD	59	54	5	91.5%
72	Bothel and Wharrels Ward	187	171	16	91.4%
73	Kendal Rural Ward	301	275	26	91.4%
74	Staveley-in-Westmorland Ward	618	565	53	91.4%
75	Windermere and Ambleside Ward	504	460	44	91.3%
76	Levens and Crooklands Ward	23	21	2	91.3%
77	SEASCALE WARD	215	196	19	91.2%
78	HAWKSHEAD WARD	233	212	21	91.0%
79	WINDERMERE APPLETHWAITE WARD	186	169	17	90.9%
80	Bootle Ward	87	79	8	90.8%
81	Crummock & Derwent Valley Ward	279	253	26	90.7%
82	Arlecdon & Ennerdale Ward	43	39	4	90.7%
83	All Saints Ward	108	98	10	90.7%
84	Dacre Ward	43	39	4	90.7%
85	WINDERMERE BOWNESS NORTH WARD	85	77	8	90.6%
86	Bowness & Levens Ward	822	743	79	90.4%
87	WINDERMERE BOWNESS SOUTH WARD	204	184	20	90.2%
88	BROUGHTON WARD	111	100	11	90.1%
89	Bothel and Wharrels Ward, Crummock & Derwent Valley Ward	10	9	1	90.0%
90	ASKHAM WARD, Askham Ward	10	9	1	90.0%
91	Windermere Bowness, Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck Ward	10	9	1	90.0%
92	STAVELEY-IN-CARTMEL WARD	189	170	19	89.9%
93	CONISTON WARD	187	168	19	89.8%
94	Cartmel Ward	240	215	25	89.6%
95	STAVELEY-IN-WESTMORLAND WARD	219	195	24	89.0%
96	WINDERMERE APPLETHWAITE WARD, WINDERMERE TOWN WARD	18	16	2	88.9%
97	Broughton & Coniston Ward	793	703	90	88.7%
98	Millom Without Ward	154	136	18	88.3%
99	Bowness and Lyth Ward	229	202	27	88.2%
100	Gosforth & Seascale Ward	144	127	17	88.2%
101	Windermere Bowness North Ward, Windermere Bowness South Ward	17	15	2	88.2%
102	Grange and Cartmel Ward	124	109	15	87.9%
103	Ambleside & Grasmere Ward	877	771	106	87.9%
104	Black Combe & Scafell Ward	263	230	33	87.5%
105	Orton with Tebay Ward	24	21	3	87.5%
106	Staveley-in-Westmorland Ward, Kendal Rural Ward	24	21	3	87.5%
107	WINDERMERE BOWNESS NORTH WARD, WINDERMERE TOWN WARD	16	14	2	87.5%
108	Thursby Ward	39	34	5	87.2%
109	WHINFELL WARD	23	20	3	87.0%
110	LAKES AMBLESIDE WARD	311	270	41	86.8%
111	Bowness and Lyth Ward, Coniston and Hawkshead Ward	15	13	2	86.7%
112	CRUMMOCK WARD	612	530	82	86.6%
113	High Furness Ward	35	30	5	85.7%
114	Coniston and Crake Valley Ward, Broughton & Coniston Ward	14	12	2	85.7%
115	Windermere Bowness South Ward, Windermere Bowness	14	12	2	85.7%
116	Coniston and Crake Valley Ward, Ambleside and Grasmere Ward	28	24	4	85.7%
117	Eamont and Shap Ward	104	89	15	85.6%
118	LAKES GRASMERE WARD	241	205	36	85.1%
119	Windermere Bowness, Staveley-in-Westmorland Ward	13	11	2	84.6%
120	HAWKSHEAD WARD, WINDERMERE APPLETHWAITE WARD	13	11	2	84.6%
121	Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck WA, Ambleside and Grasmere Ward	19	16	3	84.2%
122	Askham Ward, Dacre Ward	11	9	2	81.8%
123	Staveley-in-Cartmel Ward, Lyth Valley Ward	11	9	2	81.8%
124	Staveley-in-Cartmel Ward, Staveley-in-Cartmel Ward	11	9	2	81.8%
125	WINDERMERE TOWN WARD	33	27	6	81.8%
126	Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck WA, Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck Ward	16	13	3	81.2%
127	WINDERMERE BOWNESS SOUTH WARD, Windermere Bowness South Ward	16	13	3	81.2%
128	CRAKE VALLEY WARD	14	11	3	78.6%
129	Bowness & Levens Ward, Broughton & Coniston Ward	26	20	6	76.9%
130	Bowness & Levens Ward, Cartmel Ward	11	8	3	72.7%
131	LAKES AMBLESIDE WARD, Ambleside and Grasmere Ward	16	11	5	68.8%

See how this applies to your postcode →

What the data tells us

1

A 31.2% gap separates the best and worst wards. KESWICK WARD, Keswick Ward approves 100.0% of applications while LAKES AMBLESIDE WARD, Ambleside and Grasmere Ward approves just 68.8%. That's a fundamentally different planning environment.

2

High volume doesn't mean high approval. Some of the busiest wards aren't the most permissive. The number of applications a ward processes tells you nothing about how likely yours is to succeed.

3

Ward averages are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your specific outcome depends on your property, your neighbours, your proposal type and the comparable decisions near your address.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Lake District NPA

Check Planning Approval Patterns in Lake District NPA

All 131 wards ranked

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

What the data tells us

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

More Lake District NPA planning data