Leeds Council approves 84.1% of planning applications, based on 24,994 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Leeds is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 6,849 decided applications, Leeds Council approved 84.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 24,994 decisions on record (January 2020 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Leeds is 84.1%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Leeds council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Leeds.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 20,265 | 3,607 | 23,872 | 84.9% |
| Trees | 6,161 | 224 | 6,385 | 96.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 4,881 | 679 | 5,560 | 87.8% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 4,536 | 824 | 5,360 | 84.6% |
| Other | 2,313 | 680 | 2,993 | 77.3% |
| Listed Building | 1,215 | 106 | 1,321 | 92.0% |
| Advertisement | 1,062 | 183 | 1,245 | 85.3% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little London & Woodhouse | 2,927 | 191 | 3,118 | 93.9% |
| Harewood | 2,511 | 479 | 2,990 | 84.0% |
| Adel & Wharfedale | 2,189 | 333 | 2,522 | 86.8% |
| Horsforth | 2,220 | 269 | 2,489 | 89.2% |
| Roundhay | 2,120 | 317 | 2,437 | 87.0% |
| Wetherby | 2,098 | 304 | 2,402 | 87.3% |
| Guiseley & Rawdon | 1,896 | 253 | 2,149 | 88.2% |
| Headingley & Hyde Park | 1,518 | 321 | 1,839 | 82.5% |
| Calverley & Farsley | 1,464 | 228 | 1,692 | 86.5% |
| Alwoodley | 1,383 | 285 | 1,668 | 82.9% |
| Otley & Yeadon | 1,384 | 243 | 1,627 | 85.1% |
| Weetwood | 1,350 | 184 | 1,534 | 88.0% |
| Moortown | 1,265 | 185 | 1,450 | 87.2% |
| Hunslet & Riverside | 1,297 | 122 | 1,419 | 91.4% |
| Chapel Allerton | 1,033 | 225 | 1,258 | 82.1% |
| Morley North | 1,030 | 144 | 1,174 | 87.7% |
| Pudsey | 984 | 163 | 1,147 | 85.8% |
| Temple Newsam | 951 | 164 | 1,115 | 85.3% |
| Rothwell | 922 | 182 | 1,104 | 83.5% |
| Garforth & Swillington | 903 | 194 | 1,097 | 82.3% |
| Beeston & Holbeck | 954 | 122 | 1,076 | 88.7% |
| Morley South | 828 | 104 | 932 | 88.8% |
| Kippax & Methley | 750 | 161 | 911 | 82.3% |
| Ardsley & Robin Hood | 774 | 120 | 894 | 86.6% |
| Crossgates & Whinmoor | 750 | 140 | 890 | 84.3% |
Showing top 25 of 33 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Leeds’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 6.0pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Leeds council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/05194/TR Roundhay | We would like to remove a half dead cherry tree from the front of the garden. | Approved |
| 26/9/00140/MOD Alwoodley | Replacement detached high ropes adventure course to activity centre NON MATERIAL | Approved |
| 26/9/00136/MOD Adel & Wharfedale | Demolition of existing rear terrace to form new lower ground level terrace; Conv | Approved |
| 26/9/00146/MOD Garforth & Swillington | Single storey extension to side and rear - NON MATERIAL AMENDMENT TO 25/05124/FU | Approved |
| 26/05034/CLP Calverley & Farsley | Certificate of Proposed Lawful Development for a single storey side extension; d | Approved |
| 26/04962/CLP Otley & Yeadon | Certificate of Proposed Lawful Development for a dormer window to the rear and r | Refused |
| 26/04921/TR Harewood | T1 and T2 beech - Reduce 2 x beech to tennis court fence height, approximately 1 | Approved |
| 26/04882/TR Harewood | T1 Elm: Reduce the south-eastern lateral canopy overhanging the garden by up to | Approved |
| 26/04784/FU Guiseley & Rawdon | First-storey side extension | Approved |
| 26/04553/FU Guiseley & Rawdon | Porch to front; dormer window to rear and rooflights to the front | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Leeds's 24,994 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Leeds's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Leeds's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Leeds. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 24,994 real decisions from Leeds council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Leeds's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 24,994 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Leeds is 84.1%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 24,994 planning decisions from Leeds council. 21,030 were approved and 3,964 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Leeds is 84.1%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Leeds? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.