North Somerset Council approves 88.7% of planning applications, based on 12,218 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. North Somerset sits 3.7 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,158 decided applications, North Somerset Council approved 87.9% of planning applications in 2025. Across 12,218 decisions on record (January 2018 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in North Somerset is 88.7%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of North Somerset council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, 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 North Somerset.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 9,494 | 1,048 | 10,542 | 90.1% |
| Other | 2,775 | 470 | 3,245 | 85.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 2,107 | 55 | 2,162 | 97.5% |
| Trees | 2,007 | 0 | 2,007 | 100.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 803 | 146 | 949 | 84.6% |
| Listed Building | 627 | 49 | 676 | 92.8% |
| Prior Approval | 361 | 181 | 542 | 66.6% |
| Advertisement | 272 | 20 | 292 | 93.2% |
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, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Ashton | 1,665 | 120 | 1,785 | 93.3% |
| Banwell And Winscombe | 1,284 | 138 | 1,422 | 90.3% |
| Weston-super-Mare Hillside | 973 | 86 | 1,059 | 91.9% |
| Wrington | 867 | 75 | 942 | 92.0% |
| Gordano Valley | 778 | 126 | 904 | 86.1% |
| Yatton | 789 | 95 | 884 | 89.3% |
| Blagdon And Churchill | 793 | 83 | 876 | 90.5% |
| Winford | 740 | 125 | 865 | 85.5% |
| Hutton And Locking | 739 | 69 | 808 | 91.5% |
| Portishead West | 724 | 69 | 793 | 91.3% |
| Weston-super-Mare Central | 670 | 116 | 786 | 85.2% |
| Clevedon Walton | 712 | 51 | 763 | 93.3% |
| Backwell | 625 | 49 | 674 | 92.7% |
| Congresbury And Puxton | 570 | 89 | 659 | 86.5% |
| Weston-super-Mare Uphill | 560 | 47 | 607 | 92.3% |
| Portishead North | 546 | 53 | 599 | 91.2% |
| Weston-super-Mare Kewstoke | 504 | 74 | 578 | 87.2% |
| Pill | 445 | 68 | 513 | 86.7% |
| Clevedon East | 368 | 47 | 415 | 88.7% |
| Nailsea West End | 342 | 33 | 375 | 91.2% |
| Nailsea Yeo | 320 | 53 | 373 | 85.8% |
| Portishead South | 317 | 18 | 335 | 94.6% |
| Weston-super-Mare Milton | 292 | 36 | 328 | 89.0% |
| Nailsea Golden Valley | 280 | 39 | 319 | 87.8% |
| Clevedon West | 275 | 19 | 294 | 93.5% |
Showing top 25 of 36 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How North Somerset’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 3.6pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from North Somerset council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/P/1529/FUH Gordano Valley | Conversion of existing attached garage to provide additional residential accommo | Approved |
| 26/P/0938/FUH Wrington | Proposed erection of 1no. dormer to the front roof elevation. | Approved |
| 26/P/1659/FUH Hutton And Locking | Proposed erection of a single storey rear extension and replacement of existing | Approved |
| 26/P/1614/FUH Banwell And Winscombe | Proposed erection of a single storey side extension. | Approved |
| 26/P/1607/FUH Nailsea Golden Valley | Proposed demolition of existing conservatory and erection of a single-storey rea | Approved |
| 26/P/1597/FUH Portishead West | Proposed erection of a single storey lower rear extension to replace the existin | Approved |
| 26/P/1588/LDP Backwell | Certification of Lawful Development for the partial conversion of existing attac | Approved |
| 26/P/1586/FUH Winford | Proposed additional Loft conversion with a new dormer to the side elevation, new | Refused |
| 26/P/1291/R3 Banwell And Winscombe | Change of use from C3 (dwellinghouse) to C2 (Children's Home) | Approved |
| 26/P/1164/FUH Weston-super-Mare Hillside | Proposed refurbishment and replacement of 4no. later (modern) windows with sympa | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on North Somerset's 12,218 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare North Somerset's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into North Somerset's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for North Somerset. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 12,218 real decisions from North Somerset council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on North Somerset's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 12,218 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in North Somerset is 88.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 12,218 planning decisions from North Somerset council. 10,834 were approved and 1,384 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2018 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in North Somerset is 88.7%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in North Somerset? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.