Manchester Council approves 87.9% of planning applications, based on 13,750 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Manchester is closely in line with the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — 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 Manchester.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 4,978 | 570 | 5,548 | 89.7% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 3,734 | 664 | 4,398 | 84.9% |
| Trees | 751 | 23 | 774 | 97.0% |
| Advertisement | 551 | 139 | 690 | 79.9% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 528 | 126 | 654 | 80.7% |
| Change of Use | 581 | 51 | 632 | 91.9% |
| Listed Building | 547 | 14 | 561 | 97.5% |
| Other | 341 | 57 | 398 | 85.7% |
| Prior Approval | 74 | 21 | 95 | 77.9% |
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deansgate Ward | 1,869 | 134 | 2,003 | 93.3% |
| Piccadilly Ward | 1,257 | 110 | 1,367 | 92.0% |
| Didsbury West Ward | 676 | 67 | 743 | 91.0% |
| Didsbury East Ward | 561 | 52 | 613 | 91.5% |
| Chorlton Ward | 553 | 51 | 604 | 91.6% |
| Chorlton Park Ward | 459 | 80 | 539 | 85.2% |
| Ancoats & Beswick Ward | 467 | 41 | 508 | 91.9% |
| Hulme Ward | 465 | 35 | 500 | 93.0% |
| Whalley Range Ward | 413 | 68 | 481 | 85.9% |
| Cheetham Ward | 372 | 81 | 453 | 82.1% |
| Crumpsall Ward | 327 | 58 | 385 | 84.9% |
| Ardwick Ward | 331 | 52 | 383 | 86.4% |
| Withington Ward | 305 | 63 | 368 | 82.9% |
| Miles Platting & Newton Heath Ward | 281 | 81 | 362 | 77.6% |
| Rusholme Ward | 284 | 70 | 354 | 80.2% |
| Northenden Ward | 271 | 54 | 325 | 83.4% |
| Woodhouse Park Ward | 294 | 27 | 321 | 91.6% |
| Clayton & Openshaw Ward | 269 | 37 | 306 | 87.9% |
| Burnage Ward | 247 | 54 | 301 | 82.1% |
| Levenshulme Ward | 227 | 37 | 264 | 86.0% |
| Gorton & Abbey Hey Ward | 223 | 38 | 261 | 85.4% |
| Brooklands Ward | 226 | 20 | 246 | 91.9% |
| Longsight Ward | 211 | 29 | 240 | 87.9% |
| Old Moat Ward | 187 | 49 | 236 | 79.2% |
| Moston Ward | 185 | 43 | 228 | 81.1% |
Showing top 25 of 32 wards by volume. Your Pro Report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →Real residential planning decisions from Manchester council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 144936/FO/2026 Deansgate Ward | Replacement of roof light. | Approved |
| 144937/LO/2026 Deansgate Ward | Listed Building Consent for the replacement of roof light. | Approved |
| 144854/FH/2026 Didsbury East Ward | Erection of single-storey rear and side extension | Approved |
| 144780/FO/2025 Deansgate Ward | External alterations including installation of entrance door, louvre screen and | Approved |
| 144776/FH/2025 Chorlton Park Ward | Elevational alterations to create a new enlarged window and doors to the rear an | Approved |
| 144613/FH/2025 Chorlton Ward | Erection of single storey rear extensions and installation of rear dormer | Approved |
| 144606/FH/2025 Miles Platting & Newton Heath Ward | Erection of garage following demolition of existing, creation of linked extensio | Approved |
| 143678/FO/2025 Deansgate Ward | Erection of five storey building to form 9 no. residential apartments (Use Class | Approved |
| 144938/PIP/2026 Rusholme Ward | Planning in Principle application for up to one new dwelling on the land at 74-7 | Approved |
| 144669/FO/2025 Woodhouse Park Ward | Erection of residential apartments (Use Class C3) with retail uses at ground flo | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Manchester's 13,750 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Dig deeper into Manchester's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 13,750 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Manchester is 87.9%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 13,750 planning decisions from Manchester council. 12,085 were approved and 1,665 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Manchester is 87.9%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.