Merthyr Tydfil planning approval rate
Merthyr Tydfil council approved 90.6% of planning applications and refused 9.4%, based on 1,154 decisions analysed. Ranked 133rd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
90.6%
overall approval rate
1,154
Decisions analysed
1,046
Approved
108
Refused
11
Wards covered
Planning in Merthyr Tydfil? 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 Merthyr Tydfil. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
88.3%
97.6%
95.0%
94.1%
91.7%
93.8%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Merthyr Tydfil, mined from 1,154 proposal descriptions.
92.4%
98.6%
88.6%
87.9%
89.6%
85.7%
79.4%
21.1%
94.4%
81.2%
90.9%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Merthyr Tydfil. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
TOWN
92.0%
DOWLAIS
89.9%
TREHARRIS
92.1%
CYFARTHFA
92.8%
PLYMOUTH
91.7%
PARK
92.4%
VAYNOR
92.4%
BEDLINOG
83.3%
MERTHYR VALE
83.1%
PENYDARREN
79.1%
GURNOS
95.0%
Wards in Merthyr Tydfil
TOWN
92.0% approval · 213 decisions
DOWLAIS
89.9% approval · 129 decisions
TREHARRIS
92.1% approval · 126 decisions
CYFARTHFA
92.8% approval · 125 decisions
PLYMOUTH
91.7% approval · 121 decisions
PARK
92.4% approval · 119 decisions
VAYNOR
92.4% approval · 79 decisions
BEDLINOG
83.3% approval · 60 decisions
MERTHYR VALE
83.1% approval · 59 decisions
PENYDARREN
79.1% approval · 43 decisions
GURNOS
95.0% approval · 40 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Merthyr Tydfil, showing how the council decides real applications.
Proposed change of use of the existing annexe from café/takeaway (Use Class A3) · TOWN · 2026-06-19
Works to the roof to include new walkways, fixed ladder access, new insulation a · PARK · 2026-06-15
Creation of a hard standing for parking with associated re-profiling and retaini · PLYMOUTH · 2026-06-12
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Merthyr Tydfil, 1 in 11 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 Merthyr Tydfil
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Merthyr Tydfil →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Merthyr Tydfil
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 1,154 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Merthyr Tydfil
What is the planning approval rate in Merthyr Tydfil?
Based on 1,154 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Merthyr Tydfil approved 90.6% of applications and refused 9.4%. The council is ranked 133rd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Merthyr Tydfil?
Merthyr Tydfil refuses 9.4% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 11. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 1,154 decided applications since 2020, 108 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Merthyr Tydfil have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Merthyr Tydfil are in CYFARTHFA (92.8%), VAYNOR (92.4%), and PARK (92.4%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Merthyr Tydfil?
The most common planning application types in Merthyr Tydfil are: Full (712 decisions, 88.3% approved), Discharge of Conditions (207, 97.6%), and Other (100, 95.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Merthyr Tydfil?
Planning applications in Merthyr Tydfil take an average of 11.2 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,140 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. Merthyr Tydfil decides approximately 192 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Merthyr Tydfil?
You can search planning applications in Merthyr Tydfil directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 1,154 historical decisions in Merthyr Tydfil to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Merthyr Tydfil calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Merthyr Tydfil'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.