Neath Port Talbot planning approval rate
Neath Port Talbot council approved 96.7% of planning applications and refused 3.3%, based on 14,757 decisions analysed. Ranked 253rd out of 279 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
96.7%
overall approval rate
14,757
Decisions analysed
14,276
Approved
481
Refused
43
Wards covered
Planning in Neath Port Talbot? 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 Neath Port Talbot. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
96.2%
99.2%
93.0%
94.6%
94.4%
98.6%
99.3%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Neath Port Talbot — mined from 14,757 proposal descriptions.
98.7%
95.8%
98.2%
96.0%
95.6%
95.5%
99.7%
96.0%
99.6%
93.5%
98.3%
93.6%
96.8%
83.9%
94.5%
94.1%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Neath Port Talbot. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Margam & Taibach
98.0%
Coedffranc West
97.6%
Pontardawe
96.5%
Bryn And Cwmavon
95.8%
Neath North
97.7%
Baglan
97.1%
Bryncoch South
96.7%
Port Talbot
96.0%
Sandfields East
97.5%
Aberavon
98.5%
Neath East
97.5%
Glynneath Central & East
96.2%
Sandfields West
98.6%
Rhos
95.3%
Alltwen
97.3%
Dyffryn
96.1%
Resolven & Tonna
94.2%
Gwaun Cae Gurwen & Lower Brynamman
94.5%
Neath South
98.0%
Coedffranc Central
95.1%
Wards in Neath Port Talbot
Margam & Taibach
98.0% approval · 989 decisions
Coedffranc West
97.6% approval · 879 decisions
Pontardawe
96.5% approval · 764 decisions
Bryn And Cwmavon
95.8% approval · 709 decisions
Neath North
97.7% approval · 707 decisions
Baglan
97.1% approval · 698 decisions
Bryncoch South
96.7% approval · 612 decisions
Port Talbot
96.0% approval · 529 decisions
Sandfields East
97.5% approval · 476 decisions
Aberavon
98.5% approval · 464 decisions
Neath East
97.5% approval · 443 decisions
Glynneath Central & East
96.2% approval · 442 decisions
Sandfields West
98.6% approval · 431 decisions
Rhos
95.3% approval · 422 decisions
Alltwen
97.3% approval · 336 decisions
Dyffryn
96.1% approval · 333 decisions
Resolven & Tonna
94.2% approval · 329 decisions
Gwaun Cae Gurwen & Lower Brynamman
94.5% approval · 307 decisions
Neath South
98.0% approval · 300 decisions
Coedffranc Central
95.1% approval · 285 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Neath Port Talbot, showing how the council decides real applications.
Proposed single storey front porch extension. · Cwmllynfell & Ystalyfera · Tue 23 Jun 2026
Remove the front wall, drop the existing curb and build a driveway within the pr · Cimla & Pelenna · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Outline application for residential development for up to 8 dwellings with appro · Rhos · Fri 19 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Neath Port Talbot, 1 in 30 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 Neath Port Talbot
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Neath Port Talbot →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Neath Port Talbot
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 14,757 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Neath Port Talbot
What is the planning approval rate in Neath Port Talbot?
Based on 14,757 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Neath Port Talbot approved 96.7% of applications and refused 3.3%. The council is ranked 253rd out of 279 UK councils for approval rate.
Which areas of Neath Port Talbot have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Neath Port Talbot are in Outside Borough (100.0%), Taibach (99.0%), and Seven Sisters (99.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward — see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Neath Port Talbot?
The most common planning application types in Neath Port Talbot are: Full (8,359 decisions, 96.2% approved), Discharge of Conditions (2,790, 99.2%), and Other (1,119, 93.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Neath Port Talbot?
Planning applications in Neath Port Talbot take an average of 8.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 14,624 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. Neath Port Talbot decides approximately 2,460 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Neath Port Talbot?
You can search planning applications in Neath Port Talbot directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 14,757 historical decisions in Neath Port Talbot to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Neath Port Talbot calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Neath Port Talbot'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.