Leicester Council approves 81.6% of planning applications, based on 354 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Leicester sits 3.4 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 209 decided applications, Leicester Council approved 82.8% of planning applications in 2025. Across 354 decisions on record (October 2025 to March 2026), the overall approval rate in Leicester is 81.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Leicester council planning portal records · Data to 12 March 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 Leicester.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 245 | 55 | 300 | 81.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 41 | 10 | 51 | 80.4% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 45 | 5 | 50 | 90.0% |
| Trees | 44 | 2 | 46 | 95.7% |
| Other | 39 | 6 | 45 | 86.7% |
| Change of Use | 17 | 8 | 25 | 68.0% |
| Advertisement | 11 | 4 | 15 | 73.3% |
| Listed Building | 6 | 0 | 6 | 100.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle | 67 | 7 | 74 | 90.5% |
| Knighton | 55 | 9 | 64 | 85.9% |
| Evington | 34 | 8 | 42 | 81.0% |
| Stoneygate | 25 | 10 | 35 | 71.4% |
| Rushey Mead | 27 | 6 | 33 | 81.8% |
| Abbey | 26 | 5 | 31 | 83.9% |
| Humberstone & Hamilton | 27 | 2 | 29 | 93.1% |
| Troon | 24 | 3 | 27 | 88.9% |
| Westcotes | 20 | 5 | 25 | 80.0% |
| Beaumont Leys | 20 | 1 | 21 | 95.2% |
| North Evington | 15 | 5 | 20 | 75.0% |
| Aylestone | 14 | 5 | 19 | 73.7% |
| Belgrave | 15 | 3 | 18 | 83.3% |
| Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields | 11 | 6 | 17 | 64.7% |
| Thurncourt | 11 | 4 | 15 | 73.3% |
| Fosse | 10 | 5 | 15 | 66.7% |
| Western | 12 | 1 | 13 | 92.3% |
| Saffron | 11 | 2 | 13 | 84.6% |
| Spinney Hills | 12 | 0 | 12 | 100.0% |
| Wycliffe | 7 | 3 | 10 | 70.0% |
| Eyres Monsell | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100.0% |
How Leicester’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.8pp since 2025.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Leicester council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 20251864 Abbey | Construction of single storey extension at side; dormer at rear; removal of rear | Refused |
| 20260033 Troon | Construction of single storey extension at front and rear of house (Class C3) | Approved |
| 20251368 Thurncourt | Construction of single storey dwelling house at rear (1 Bed) (Class C3); boundar | Refused |
| 20252005 Rushey Mead | Construction of two storey side extension; part single and part two storey rear | Approved |
| 20260001 North Evington | Change of use from (Class E) to a shisha café (sui generis); installation of rol | Refused |
| 20251815 Humberstone & Hamilton | Construction of single and two storey extensions at rear; alterations to house ( | Approved |
| 20251461 Knighton | Construction of single storey extension at rear of house (Class C3) | Refused |
| 20251484 Knighton | Construction of first floor extension at side; single storey extension at rear o | Approved |
| 20250173 North Evington | Change of use from public open space to dwellinghouses; construction of two-stor | Approved |
| 20251805 Abbey | Alterations to roof to form gabled entrance at front; construction of single sto | Refused |
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 Leicester's 354 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Leicester's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Leicester'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 Leicester. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 354 real decisions from Leicester 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 Leicester'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 354 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Leicester is 81.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 354 planning decisions from Leicester council. 289 were approved and 65 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, October 2025 to March 2026.
The average approval rate in Leicester is 81.6%, 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 Leicester? 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.