Leeds planning approval rate
Leeds council approved 86.6% of planning applications and refused 13.4%, based on 45,050 decisions analysed. Ranked 63rd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
86.6%
overall approval rate
45,050
Decisions analysed
39,008
Approved
6,042
Refused
33
Wards covered
Planning in Leeds? 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 Leeds. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
85.0%
96.5%
87.8%
77.4%
92.5%
85.8%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Leeds, mined from 45,050 proposal descriptions.
89.0%
86.2%
84.6%
80.7%
85.3%
87.2%
82.7%
78.3%
87.1%
79.3%
72.0%
82.6%
76.7%
81.7%
75.0%
79.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Leeds. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Little London & Woodhouse
94.1%
Harewood
83.9%
Adel & Wharfedale
86.9%
Horsforth
89.1%
Roundhay
87.0%
Wetherby
87.6%
Guiseley & Rawdon
88.2%
Headingley & Hyde Park
82.5%
Calverley & Farsley
86.7%
Alwoodley
83.0%
Otley & Yeadon
85.3%
Weetwood
87.7%
Moortown
87.4%
Hunslet & Riverside
91.5%
Chapel Allerton
82.0%
Morley North
88.0%
Pudsey
86.1%
Temple Newsam
85.9%
Garforth & Swillington
82.1%
Rothwell
83.5%
Wards in Leeds
Little London & Woodhouse
94.1% approval · 2,993 decisions
Harewood
83.9% approval · 2,877 decisions
Adel & Wharfedale
86.9% approval · 2,413 decisions
Horsforth
89.1% approval · 2,405 decisions
Roundhay
87.0% approval · 2,353 decisions
Wetherby
87.6% approval · 2,301 decisions
Guiseley & Rawdon
88.2% approval · 2,087 decisions
Headingley & Hyde Park
82.5% approval · 1,763 decisions
Calverley & Farsley
86.7% approval · 1,633 decisions
Alwoodley
83.0% approval · 1,604 decisions
Otley & Yeadon
85.3% approval · 1,553 decisions
Weetwood
87.7% approval · 1,469 decisions
Moortown
87.4% approval · 1,411 decisions
Hunslet & Riverside
91.5% approval · 1,390 decisions
Chapel Allerton
82.0% approval · 1,208 decisions
Morley North
88.0% approval · 1,139 decisions
Pudsey
86.1% approval · 1,098 decisions
Temple Newsam
85.9% approval · 1,082 decisions
Garforth & Swillington
82.1% approval · 1,064 decisions
Rothwell
83.5% approval · 1,056 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Leeds, showing how the council decides real applications.
Installation of roof plant, photovoltaic arrays and provision of roof top plant · Beeston & Holbeck · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Hipped roof extension to gable, dormer window to the rear; rooflights to front a · Armley · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Alterations to roof top plant equipment · Little London & Woodhouse · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Leeds, 1 in 7 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 Leeds
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Leeds →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Leeds
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 45,050 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Leeds
What is the planning approval rate in Leeds?
Based on 45,050 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Leeds approved 86.6% of applications and refused 13.4%. The council is ranked 63rd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Leeds?
Leeds refuses 13.4% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 7. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 45,050 decided applications since 2020, 6,042 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Leeds have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Leeds are in Little London & Woodhouse (94.1%), Hunslet & Riverside (91.5%), and Horsforth (89.1%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Leeds?
The most common planning application types in Leeds are: Full (23,104 decisions, 85.0% approved), Trees (6,095, 96.5%), and Discharge of Conditions (5,352, 87.8%).
How long does a planning application take in Leeds?
Planning applications in Leeds take an average of 10.6 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 44,645 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. Leeds decides approximately 7,508 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Leeds?
You can search planning applications in Leeds directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 45,050 historical decisions in Leeds to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Leeds calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Leeds' 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.