Neath Port Talbot planning approval rate
Neath Port Talbot council approved 95.4% of planning applications and refused 4.6%, based on 26,607 decisions analysed. Ranked 258th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
95.4%
overall approval rate
26,607
Decisions analysed
25,371
Approved
1,236
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.
95.2%
99.0%
86.4%
94.5%
91.8%
96.9%
94.5%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Neath Port Talbot, mined from 26,607 proposal descriptions.
98.2%
95.6%
96.0%
97.3%
98.0%
94.7%
94.2%
87.1%
93.4%
98.6%
98.1%
92.1%
94.8%
92.4%
83.3%
94.1%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Neath Port Talbot. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Margam & Taibach
96.2%
Coedffranc West
97.2%
Pontardawe
94.7%
Baglan
95.5%
Bryn And Cwmavon
93.5%
Neath North
97.3%
Bryncoch South
96.1%
Port Talbot
95.4%
Aberavon
97.3%
Sandfields East
97.1%
Glynneath Central & East
94.5%
Neath East
95.4%
Sandfields West
98.1%
Rhos
94.4%
Gwaun Cae Gurwen & Lower Brynamman
91.7%
Alltwen
96.0%
Dyffryn
93.1%
Resolven & Tonna
92.9%
Coedffranc Central
94.3%
Bryncoch North
94.8%
Wards in Neath Port Talbot
Margam & Taibach
96.2% approval · 1,544 decisions
Coedffranc West
97.2% approval · 1,439 decisions
Pontardawe
94.7% approval · 1,365 decisions
Baglan
95.5% approval · 1,322 decisions
Bryn And Cwmavon
93.5% approval · 1,286 decisions
Neath North
97.3% approval · 1,171 decisions
Bryncoch South
96.1% approval · 1,168 decisions
Port Talbot
95.4% approval · 916 decisions
Aberavon
97.3% approval · 816 decisions
Sandfields East
97.1% approval · 794 decisions
Glynneath Central & East
94.5% approval · 782 decisions
Neath East
95.4% approval · 766 decisions
Sandfields West
98.1% approval · 729 decisions
Rhos
94.4% approval · 712 decisions
Gwaun Cae Gurwen & Lower Brynamman
91.7% approval · 630 decisions
Alltwen
96.0% approval · 629 decisions
Dyffryn
93.1% approval · 623 decisions
Resolven & Tonna
92.9% approval · 621 decisions
Coedffranc Central
94.3% approval · 541 decisions
Bryncoch North
94.8% approval · 516 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Neath Port Talbot, showing how the council decides real applications.
Proposed construction of 2no. outdoor padel courts including raised platform to · Briton Ferry East · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Alterations to shop front comprising a proposed roller shutter and new stepped e · Margam & Taibach · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Proposed Lawful Development Certificate of a single storey rear extension · Sandfields West · Wed 12 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Neath Port Talbot, 1 in 22 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 26,607 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 26,607 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Neath Port Talbot approved 95.4% of applications and refused 4.6%. The council is ranked 258th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Neath Port Talbot?
Neath Port Talbot refuses 4.6% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 22. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 26,607 decided applications since 2020, 1,236 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
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%), Lower Brynamman (98.3%), and Sandfields West (98.1%). 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 (15,859 decisions, 95.2% approved), Discharge of Conditions (5,110, 99.0%), and Other (2,165, 86.4%).
How long does a planning application take in Neath Port Talbot?
Planning applications in Neath Port Talbot take an average of 9.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 26,402 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 4,434 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 26,607 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.