Lancaster planning approval rate
Lancaster council approved 91.9% of planning applications and refused 8.1%, based on 4,802 decisions analysed. Ranked 168th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
91.9%
overall approval rate
4,802
Decisions analysed
4,413
Approved
389
Refused
61
Wards covered
Planning in Lancaster? 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 Lancaster. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
97.0%
90.6%
89.5%
91.8%
95.1%
87.7%
76.8%
75.5%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Lancaster, mined from 4,802 proposal descriptions.
92.1%
92.2%
91.5%
89.2%
90.5%
96.2%
88.5%
89.1%
90.4%
85.1%
97.6%
89.5%
57.9%
86.7%
85.7%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Lancaster. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Lower Lune Valley Ward
88.7%
Bolton And Slyne Ward
92.3%
Upper Lune Valley Ward
90.6%
Ellel Ward
79.0%
Castle Ward
92.5%
Silverdale Ward
93.3%
Upper Lune Valley
94.4%
Scotforth West Ward
93.8%
Kellet Ward 2015
87.3%
Lower Lune Valley
94.1%
Silverdale
92.9%
Halton-with-Aughton And Kellet Ward
84.5%
Marsh Ward
96.2%
Ellel
96.2%
Castle
95.2%
Dukes
95.2%
Warton Ward
94.0%
Slyne With Hest
90.6%
Kellet
94.6%
Scotforth West
93.2%
Wards in Lancaster
Lower Lune Valley Ward
88.7% approval · 284 decisions
Bolton And Slyne Ward
92.3% approval · 247 decisions
Upper Lune Valley Ward
90.6% approval · 212 decisions
Ellel Ward
79.0% approval · 210 decisions
Castle Ward
92.5% approval · 174 decisions
Silverdale Ward
93.3% approval · 165 decisions
Upper Lune Valley
94.4% approval · 142 decisions
Scotforth West Ward
93.8% approval · 129 decisions
Kellet Ward 2015
87.3% approval · 126 decisions
Lower Lune Valley
94.1% approval · 119 decisions
Silverdale
92.9% approval · 113 decisions
Halton-with-Aughton And Kellet Ward
84.5% approval · 110 decisions
Marsh Ward
96.2% approval · 106 decisions
Ellel
96.2% approval · 105 decisions
Castle
95.2% approval · 105 decisions
Dukes
95.2% approval · 104 decisions
Warton Ward
94.0% approval · 100 decisions
Slyne With Hest
90.6% approval · 96 decisions
Kellet
94.6% approval · 92 decisions
Scotforth West
93.2% approval · 88 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Lancaster, showing how the council decides real applications.
T1 Conifer hedge - Reduce to apex of the garage roof; Trim the sides to increase · Upper Lune Valley Ward · Wed 12 Aug 2026
Change of use from agricultural land into dog exercise field with associated she · Halton-with-Aughton And Kellet Ward · Wed 12 Aug 2026
Change of use of the first and second floor offices to a residential flat and co · Heysham Central Ward · Wed 12 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Lancaster, 1 in 12 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 Lancaster
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Lancaster →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Lancaster
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 4,802 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Lancaster
What is the planning approval rate in Lancaster?
Based on 4,802 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Lancaster approved 91.9% of applications and refused 8.1%. The council is ranked 168th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Lancaster?
Lancaster refuses 8.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 12. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 4,802 decided applications since 2020, 389 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Lancaster have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Lancaster are in Bulk (98.5%), Halton-with-Aughton Ward 2015 (98.0%), and Heysham South (98.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Lancaster?
The most common planning application types in Lancaster are: Trees (1,301 decisions, 97.0% approved), Full (1,216, 90.6%), and Other (1,134, 89.5%).
How long does a planning application take in Lancaster?
Planning applications in Lancaster take an average of 9.9 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 780 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. Lancaster decides approximately 800 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Lancaster?
You can search planning applications in Lancaster directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 4,802 historical decisions in Lancaster to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Lancaster calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Lancaster'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.