Manchester planning approval rate
Manchester council approved 87.9% of planning applications and refused 12.1%, based on 13,750 decisions analysed. Ranked 87th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
87.9%
overall approval rate
13,750
Decisions analysed
12,085
Approved
1,665
Refused
32
Wards covered
Planning in Manchester? 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 Manchester. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
89.7%
84.9%
97.0%
79.9%
91.9%
97.5%
85.7%
77.9%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Manchester, mined from 13,750 proposal descriptions.
91.6%
92.1%
87.5%
86.3%
94.8%
84.4%
86.0%
85.3%
89.8%
88.4%
64.0%
81.8%
93.5%
87.3%
69.1%
86.4%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Manchester. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Deansgate Ward
93.3%
Piccadilly Ward
92.0%
Didsbury West Ward
91.0%
Didsbury East Ward
91.5%
Chorlton Ward
91.6%
Chorlton Park Ward
85.2%
Ancoats & Beswick Ward
91.9%
Hulme Ward
93.0%
Whalley Range Ward
85.9%
Cheetham Ward
82.1%
Crumpsall Ward
84.9%
Ardwick Ward
86.4%
Withington Ward
82.9%
Miles Platting & Newton Heath Ward
77.6%
Rusholme Ward
80.2%
Northenden Ward
83.4%
Woodhouse Park Ward
91.6%
Clayton & Openshaw Ward
87.9%
Burnage Ward
82.1%
Levenshulme Ward
86.0%
Wards in Manchester
Deansgate Ward
93.3% approval · 2,003 decisions
Piccadilly Ward
92.0% approval · 1,367 decisions
Didsbury West Ward
91.0% approval · 743 decisions
Didsbury East Ward
91.5% approval · 613 decisions
Chorlton Ward
91.6% approval · 604 decisions
Chorlton Park Ward
85.2% approval · 539 decisions
Ancoats & Beswick Ward
91.9% approval · 508 decisions
Hulme Ward
93.0% approval · 500 decisions
Whalley Range Ward
85.9% approval · 481 decisions
Cheetham Ward
82.1% approval · 453 decisions
Crumpsall Ward
84.9% approval · 385 decisions
Ardwick Ward
86.4% approval · 383 decisions
Withington Ward
82.9% approval · 368 decisions
Miles Platting & Newton Heath Ward
77.6% approval · 362 decisions
Rusholme Ward
80.2% approval · 354 decisions
Northenden Ward
83.4% approval · 325 decisions
Woodhouse Park Ward
91.6% approval · 321 decisions
Clayton & Openshaw Ward
87.9% approval · 306 decisions
Burnage Ward
82.1% approval · 301 decisions
Levenshulme Ward
86.0% approval · 264 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Manchester, showing how the council decides real applications.
Replacement of roof light. · Deansgate Ward · Thu 26 Feb 2026
Listed Building Consent for the replacement of roof light. · Deansgate Ward · Thu 26 Feb 2026
Erection of single-storey rear and side extension · Didsbury East Ward · Thu 26 Feb 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Manchester, 1 in 8 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 Manchester
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Manchester →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Manchester
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 13,750 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Manchester
What is the planning approval rate in Manchester?
Based on 13,750 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Manchester approved 87.9% of applications and refused 12.1%. The council is ranked 87th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Manchester?
Manchester refuses 12.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is close to the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 13,750 decided applications since 2020, 1,665 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Manchester have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Manchester are in Deansgate Ward (93.3%), Hulme Ward (93.0%), and Sharston Ward (92.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Manchester?
The most common planning application types in Manchester are: Full (5,548 decisions, 89.7% approved), Discharge of Conditions (4,398, 84.9%), and Trees (774, 97.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Manchester?
Planning applications in Manchester take an average of 10.7 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 13,553 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. Manchester decides approximately 2,292 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Manchester?
You can search planning applications in Manchester directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 13,750 historical decisions in Manchester to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Manchester calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Manchester'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.