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Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Lake District NPA

Planning outcomes in Lake District NPA are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 31.2% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

31,946 real decisions·131 wards·Updated June 2026
100.0%
Highest: KESWICK WARD, Keswic
68.8%
Lowest: LAKES AMBLESIDE WARD
31.2%
Gap
131
Wards
91.4% approved overall. But 2,761 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in Lake District NPA shifts your odds by up to 31.2%. The council average doesn't tell you which side of that gap you're on.

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All 131 wards ranked

#WardDecisionsApprovedRefusedRate
1KESWICK WARD, Keswick Ward16160
100.0%
2ULLSWATER WARD, Ullswater Ward20200
100.0%
3BOLTONS WARD, Boltons Ward15150
100.0%
4Ambleside and Grasmere Ward, Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck Ward13130
100.0%
5Levens Ward25250
100.0%
6Ambleside and Grasmere Ward, Coniston and Crake Valley Ward17170
100.0%
7Hawkshead Ward, Coniston and Crake Valley Ward17170
100.0%
8Windermere Bowness North Ward, Windermere Town Ward17170
100.0%
9Staveley-in-Cartmel Ward, Windermere Bowness South Ward29290
100.0%
10SHAP WARD44440
100.0%
11Windermere Bowness North Ward1641622
98.8%
12DACRE WARD47461
97.9%
13WINDERMERE APPLETHWAITE WARD, WINDERMERE BOWNESS SOUTH WARD38371
97.4%
14Shap Ward32311
96.9%
15Hawkshead Ward, Windermere Bowness South Ward32311
96.9%
16ASKHAM WARD43541817
96.1%
17Warnell Ward1961888
95.9%
18Windermere Bowness, Hawkshead Ward24231
95.8%
19WINDERMERE BOWNESS NORTH WARD, WINDERMERE BOWNESS SOUTH WARD24231
95.8%
20Burneside Ward46442
95.7%
21Whinfell Ward45432
95.6%
22BOOTLE WARD21220210
95.3%
23Ambleside and Grasmere Ward, Ambleside & Grasmere Ward41392
95.1%
24Hawkshead Ward71768136
95.0%
25Levens and Crooklands Ward19181
94.7%
26Broughton Ward28426915
94.7%
27ULLSWATER WARD63259834
94.6%
28KESWICK WARD, BOLTONS WARD37352
94.6%
29DERWENT VALLEY WARD50347528
94.4%
30Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck WA, Windermere Town Ward36342
94.4%
31Windermere Bowness52549431
94.1%
32Windermere Town Ward, Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck Ward17161
94.1%
33WINDERMERE APPLETHWAITE WARD, STAVELEY-IN-CARTMEL WARD17161
94.1%
34Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck Ward35032822
93.7%
35LYTH VALLEY WARD22220814
93.7%
36BOLTONS WARD34332122
93.6%
37Lyth Valley Ward68163744
93.5%
38GREYSTOKE WARD21420014
93.5%
39Coniston and Crake Valley Ward51347934
93.4%
40MILLOM WITHOUT WARD20919514
93.3%
41Seascale Ward74695
93.2%
42Ullswater Ward56652739
93.1%
43Derwent Valley Ward18817513
93.1%
44WARNELL WARD28426420
93.0%
45Windermere Bowness, Staveley-in-Cartmel Ward57534
93.0%
46Keswick Ward, Boltons Ward28262
92.9%
47Ennerdale Ward42393
92.9%
48Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck WA46743433
92.9%
49STAVELEY-IN-WESTMORLAND WARD, Staveley-in-Westmorland Ward14131
92.9%
50Keswick Ward1,1781,09385
92.8%
51Windermere Ward49946336
92.8%
52Askham Ward37534827
92.8%
53Gosforth Ward1231149
92.7%
54Ambleside and Grasmere Ward1,6551,534121
92.7%
55Greystoke Ward23321518
92.3%
56Windermere Bowness, Windermere Town Ward13121
92.3%
57Greystoke and Ullswater Ward12811810
92.2%
58GOSFORTH WARD24322419
92.2%
59Windermere Bowness South Ward49845939
92.2%
60Staveley-in-Cartmel Ward65560352
92.1%
61ENNERDALE WARD101938
92.1%
62Coniston and Hawkshead Ward19918316
92.0%
63Crummock Ward22120318
91.9%
64Cleator Moor East and Frizington Ward12111
91.7%
65Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck Ward, Windermere Ward12111
91.7%
66Hawkshead Ward, Broughton & Coniston Ward12111
91.7%
67WINDERMERE APPLETHWAITE WARD, WINDERMERE BOWNESS NORTH WARD12111
91.7%
68KESWICK WARD1,1001,00991
91.7%
69Boltons Ward27425123
91.6%
70Windermere Town Ward95878
91.6%
71Bothel and Wharrels Ward17716215
91.5%
72BURNESIDE WARD59545
91.5%
73Kendal Rural Ward30127526
91.4%
74Staveley-in-Westmorland Ward61856553
91.4%
75Windermere and Ambleside Ward45941940
91.3%
76SEASCALE WARD21519619
91.2%
77HAWKSHEAD WARD23321221
91.0%
78Eamont and Shap Ward88808
90.9%
79Upper Kent Ward77707
90.9%
80WINDERMERE APPLETHWAITE WARD18616917
90.9%
81Bootle Ward87798
90.8%
82Crummock & Derwent Valley Ward27925326
90.7%
83All Saints Ward1089810
90.7%
84Dacre Ward43394
90.7%
85WINDERMERE BOWNESS NORTH WARD85778
90.6%
86Arlecdon & Ennerdale Ward42384
90.5%
87Bowness & Levens Ward82274379
90.4%
88WINDERMERE BOWNESS SOUTH WARD20418420
90.2%
89BROUGHTON WARD11110011
90.1%
90Bothel and Wharrels Ward, Crummock & Derwent Valley Ward1091
90.0%
91ASKHAM WARD, Askham Ward1091
90.0%
92Windermere Bowness, Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck Ward1091
90.0%
93STAVELEY-IN-CARTMEL WARD18917019
89.9%
94CONISTON WARD18716819
89.8%
95Cartmel Ward23921425
89.5%
96Grange and Cartmel Ward1109812
89.1%
97Millom Without Ward14713116
89.1%
98STAVELEY-IN-WESTMORLAND WARD21919524
89.0%
99Bowness and Lyth Ward21619224
88.9%
100WINDERMERE APPLETHWAITE WARD, WINDERMERE TOWN WARD18162
88.9%
101Broughton & Coniston Ward79370390
88.7%
102Gosforth & Seascale Ward14412717
88.2%
103Windermere Bowness North Ward, Windermere Bowness South Ward17152
88.2%
104Ambleside & Grasmere Ward877771106
87.9%
105Black Combe & Scafell Ward26323033
87.5%
106Orton with Tebay Ward24213
87.5%
107Staveley-in-Westmorland Ward, Kendal Rural Ward24213
87.5%
108WINDERMERE BOWNESS NORTH WARD, WINDERMERE TOWN WARD16142
87.5%
109Thursby Ward39345
87.2%
110WHINFELL WARD23203
87.0%
111LAKES AMBLESIDE WARD31127041
86.8%
112CRUMMOCK WARD61253082
86.6%
113Coniston and Crake Valley Ward, Broughton & Coniston Ward14122
85.7%
114Windermere Bowness South Ward, Windermere Bowness14122
85.7%
115Coniston and Crake Valley Ward, Ambleside and Grasmere Ward28244
85.7%
116LAKES GRASMERE WARD24120536
85.1%
117High Furness Ward33285
84.8%
118Windermere Bowness, Staveley-in-Westmorland Ward13112
84.6%
119HAWKSHEAD WARD, WINDERMERE APPLETHWAITE WARD13112
84.6%
120Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck WA, Ambleside and Grasmere Ward19163
84.2%
121Bowness and Lyth Ward, Coniston and Hawkshead Ward12102
83.3%
122Askham Ward, Dacre Ward1192
81.8%
123Staveley-in-Cartmel Ward, Lyth Valley Ward1192
81.8%
124Staveley-in-Cartmel Ward, Staveley-in-Cartmel Ward1192
81.8%
125WINDERMERE TOWN WARD33276
81.8%
126Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck WA, Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck Ward16133
81.2%
127WINDERMERE BOWNESS SOUTH WARD, Windermere Bowness South Ward16133
81.2%
128CRAKE VALLEY WARD14113
78.6%
129Bowness & Levens Ward, Broughton & Coniston Ward26206
76.9%
130Bowness & Levens Ward, Cartmel Ward1183
72.7%
131LAKES AMBLESIDE WARD, Ambleside and Grasmere Ward16115
68.8%
See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in KESWICK WARD, Keswick Ward but face serious resistance in LAKES AMBLESIDE WARD, Ambleside and Grasmere Ward.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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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.

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

2,761 planning applications in Lake District NPA have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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More Lake District NPA planning data

Methodology: Covers 31,946 planning decisions in Lake District NPA, January 2020 to present. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from Lake District NPA Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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