Leeds Council approves 86.6% of planning applications, based on 45,050 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Leeds sits 1.7 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 6,849 decided applications, Leeds Council approved 84.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 45,050 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Leeds is 86.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Leeds council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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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 | 19,630 | 3,474 | 23,104 | 85.0% |
| Trees | 5,882 | 213 | 6,095 | 96.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 4,700 | 652 | 5,352 | 87.8% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 4,358 | 782 | 5,140 | 84.8% |
| Other | 2,250 | 657 | 2,907 | 77.4% |
| Listed Building | 1,159 | 94 | 1,253 | 92.5% |
| Advertisement | 1,029 | 170 | 1,199 | 85.8% |
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 | 2,817 | 176 | 2,993 | 94.1% |
| Harewood | 2,413 | 464 | 2,877 | 83.9% |
| Adel & Wharfedale | 2,096 | 317 | 2,413 | 86.9% |
| Horsforth | 2,143 | 262 | 2,405 | 89.1% |
| Roundhay | 2,047 | 306 | 2,353 | 87.0% |
| Wetherby | 2,016 | 285 | 2,301 | 87.6% |
| Guiseley & Rawdon | 1,841 | 246 | 2,087 | 88.2% |
| Headingley & Hyde Park | 1,455 | 308 | 1,763 | 82.5% |
| Calverley & Farsley | 1,415 | 218 | 1,633 | 86.7% |
| Alwoodley | 1,332 | 272 | 1,604 | 83.0% |
| Otley & Yeadon | 1,324 | 229 | 1,553 | 85.3% |
| Weetwood | 1,289 | 180 | 1,469 | 87.7% |
| Moortown | 1,233 | 178 | 1,411 | 87.4% |
| Hunslet & Riverside | 1,272 | 118 | 1,390 | 91.5% |
| Chapel Allerton | 990 | 218 | 1,208 | 82.0% |
| Morley North | 1,002 | 137 | 1,139 | 88.0% |
| Pudsey | 945 | 153 | 1,098 | 86.1% |
| Temple Newsam | 929 | 153 | 1,082 | 85.9% |
| Garforth & Swillington | 874 | 190 | 1,064 | 82.1% |
| Rothwell | 882 | 174 | 1,056 | 83.5% |
| Beeston & Holbeck | 914 | 117 | 1,031 | 88.7% |
| Morley South | 800 | 98 | 898 | 89.1% |
| Kippax & Methley | 721 | 149 | 870 | 82.9% |
| Ardsley & Robin Hood | 750 | 117 | 867 | 86.5% |
| Crossgates & Whinmoor | 724 | 136 | 860 | 84.2% |
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 6.7pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/9/00098/MOD Beeston & Holbeck | Installation of roof plant, photovoltaic arrays and provision of roof top plant | Approved |
| 26/02732/FU Armley | Hipped roof extension to gable, dormer window to the rear; rooflights to front a | Approved |
| 26/02639/FU Little London & Woodhouse | Alterations to roof top plant equipment | Approved |
| 26/02554/FU Chapel Allerton | Demolition of attached out building and erection of a single storey rear extensi | Approved |
| 26/02429/FU Alwoodley | Single storey side/rear extension | Approved |
| 26/02303/FU Morley North | Single storey side extension with associated forecourt, parking and landscaping | Approved |
| 26/02285/FU Harewood | Demolition of existing rear extension and removal of door to side; construction | Approved |
| 26/02183/FU Morley North | Installation of nine air condenser units to side | Approved |
| 26/02034/FU Little London & Woodhouse | Alterations to shopfront including glazing and new ATM | Approved |
| 26/01945/FU Harewood | Erection of outbuilding, insertion of rooflights and fenestration alteration to | 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 45,050 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 45,050 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 45,050 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Leeds is 86.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 45,050 planning decisions from Leeds council. 39,008 were approved and 6,042 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Leeds is 86.6%, 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.