Lincoln planning approval rate
Lincoln council approved 95.3% of planning applications and refused 4.7%, based on 7,053 decisions analysed. Ranked 254th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
95.3%
overall approval rate
7,053
Decisions analysed
6,718
Approved
335
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%
91.5%
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 7,053 proposal descriptions.
98.3%
94.4%
98.8%
94.0%
98.5%
89.0%
95.1%
93.9%
99.2%
91.5%
98.9%
82.6%
95.2%
96.9%
93.3%
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
96.8%
Birchwood
93.4%
Moorland
95.7%
Witham
96.0%
Glebe
98.7%
Wards in Lincoln
Carholme
95.3% approval · 1,258 decisions
Hartsholme
92.6% approval · 911 decisions
Park
93.4% approval · 890 decisions
Abbey
95.0% approval · 863 decisions
Minster
98.1% approval · 804 decisions
Boultham
95.9% approval · 732 decisions
Castle
96.8% approval · 475 decisions
Birchwood
93.4% approval · 320 decisions
Moorland
95.7% approval · 278 decisions
Witham
96.0% approval · 273 decisions
Glebe
98.7% approval · 232 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Lincoln, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of first floor extension to rear elevation and single storey rear exten · Witham · Tue 04 Aug 2026
Change of use from business/industrial/storage (use classes B1, B2 and B8) to sh · Park · Tue 04 Aug 2026
Change of use from HMO (Use Class C4) to 2 no. flats (Use Class C3) at ground fl · Abbey · Tue 04 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 7,053 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Lincoln
What is the planning approval rate in Lincoln?
Based on 7,053 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Lincoln approved 95.3% of applications and refused 4.7%. The council is ranked 254th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Lincoln?
Lincoln refuses 4.7% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 21. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 7,053 decided applications since 2020, 335 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 (98.7%), Minster (98.1%), and Castle (96.8%). 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 (2,691 decisions, 93.9% approved), Trees (1,576, 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 6,996 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 1,176 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 7,053 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.