Lincoln planning approval rate
Lincoln council approved 95.2% of planning applications and refused 4.8%, based on 7,076 decisions analysed. Ranked 247th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
95.2%
overall approval rate
7,076
Decisions analysed
6,739
Approved
337
Refused
11
Wards covered
Planning in Lincoln? 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 Lincoln. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
93.9%
94.3%
99.2%
98.9%
91.6%
93.0%
98.8%
91.3%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Lincoln, mined from 7,076 proposal descriptions.
98.3%
94.4%
98.8%
93.8%
98.5%
89.1%
95.2%
93.9%
99.2%
91.7%
98.9%
82.6%
95.2%
96.9%
93.5%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Lincoln. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Carholme
95.3%
Hartsholme
92.6%
Park
93.4%
Abbey
95.0%
Minster
98.1%
Boultham
95.9%
Castle
96.9%
Birchwood
93.5%
Moorland
95.7%
Witham
96.0%
Glebe
98.3%
Wards in Lincoln
Carholme
95.3% approval · 1,260 decisions
Hartsholme
92.6% approval · 916 decisions
Park
93.4% approval · 892 decisions
Abbey
95.0% approval · 867 decisions
Minster
98.1% approval · 808 decisions
Boultham
95.9% approval · 732 decisions
Castle
96.9% approval · 477 decisions
Birchwood
93.5% approval · 322 decisions
Moorland
95.7% approval · 278 decisions
Witham
96.0% approval · 274 decisions
Glebe
98.3% approval · 233 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Lincoln, showing how the council decides real applications.
Extend existing roofline to incorporate loft conversion. Erection of dormer wind · Minster · Wed 19 Aug 2026
Internal alterations including installation of extract ventilation and boiler fl · Castle · Wed 19 Aug 2026
Installation of front dormer (Revised Drawings) · Carholme · Wed 19 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Lincoln, 1 in 21 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 Lincoln
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Lincoln →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Lincoln
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 7,076 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Lincoln
What is the planning approval rate in Lincoln?
Based on 7,076 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Lincoln approved 95.2% of applications and refused 4.8%. The council is ranked 247th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Lincoln?
Lincoln refuses 4.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 21. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 7,076 decided applications since 2020, 337 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Lincoln have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Lincoln are in Glebe (98.3%), Minster (98.1%), and Castle (96.9%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Lincoln?
The most common planning application types in Lincoln are: Full (2,698 decisions, 93.9% approved), Trees (1,587, 94.3%), and Other (1,006, 99.2%).
How long does a planning application take in Lincoln?
Planning applications in Lincoln take an average of 8.7 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 7,019 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. Lincoln decides approximately 1,179 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Lincoln?
You can search planning applications in Lincoln directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 7,076 historical decisions in Lincoln to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Lincoln calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Lincoln'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.