North Somerset Council approves 90.3% of planning applications, based on 20,178 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. North Somerset sits 1.7 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 20,178 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in North Somerset is 90.3%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of North Somerset council planning portal records · Updated August 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 | 9,395 | 1,041 | 10,436 | 90.0% |
| Other | 2,738 | 468 | 3,206 | 85.4% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 2,066 | 54 | 2,120 | 97.5% |
| Trees | 1,987 | 0 | 1,987 | 100.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 789 | 144 | 933 | 84.6% |
| Listed Building | 622 | 48 | 670 | 92.8% |
| Prior Approval | 357 | 181 | 538 | 66.4% |
| Advertisement | 268 | 20 | 288 | 93.1% |
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 | 1,653 | 119 | 1,772 | 93.3% |
| Banwell And Winscombe | 1,269 | 136 | 1,405 | 90.3% |
| Weston-super-Mare Hillside | 959 | 86 | 1,045 | 91.8% |
| Wrington | 854 | 75 | 929 | 91.9% |
| Gordano Valley | 768 | 125 | 893 | 86.0% |
| Yatton | 776 | 95 | 871 | 89.1% |
| Blagdon And Churchill | 785 | 82 | 867 | 90.5% |
| Winford | 732 | 122 | 854 | 85.7% |
| Hutton And Locking | 729 | 69 | 798 | 91.4% |
| Portishead West | 715 | 68 | 783 | 91.3% |
| Weston-super-Mare Central | 661 | 116 | 777 | 85.1% |
| Clevedon Walton | 702 | 49 | 751 | 93.5% |
| Backwell | 607 | 49 | 656 | 92.5% |
| Congresbury And Puxton | 561 | 89 | 650 | 86.3% |
| Weston-super-Mare Uphill | 556 | 47 | 603 | 92.2% |
| Portishead North | 541 | 52 | 593 | 91.2% |
| Weston-super-Mare Kewstoke | 500 | 74 | 574 | 87.1% |
| Pill | 441 | 67 | 508 | 86.8% |
| Clevedon East | 362 | 47 | 409 | 88.5% |
| Nailsea West End | 339 | 33 | 372 | 91.1% |
| Nailsea Yeo | 316 | 53 | 369 | 85.6% |
| Portishead South | 313 | 18 | 331 | 94.6% |
| Weston-super-Mare Milton | 286 | 36 | 322 | 88.8% |
| Nailsea Golden Valley | 276 | 39 | 315 | 87.6% |
| Clevedon West | 271 | 19 | 290 | 93.4% |
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 3.3pp 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/1448/TRCA Weston-super-Mare Central | T1 field maple subtle 1.0m crown reduction . T2 apple felll close to wall. | Approved |
| 26/P/1410/TRCA Blagdon And Churchill | Magnolia - front of property - fell | Approved |
| 26/P/1421/HHPA Yatton | Application to determine if prior approval is required for the erection of a sin | Approved |
| 26/P/1309/FUH Clevedon South | Proposed erection of a singe storey rear extension and two storey side extension | Approved |
| 26/P/1258/FUH Long Ashton | Retrospective application for the erection of new 2m fencing and hedging to the | Refused |
| 26/P/1260/FUL Weston-super-Mare Central | Proposed addition of flat roof insulation upon existing rear flat-roof. | Approved |
| 26/P/1168/FUH Yatton | Proposed demolition of existing conservatory, erection of a single storey extens | Approved |
| 26/P/1122/FUL Long Ashton | Improve accessibility to the house including 2no. new external access ramps, a v | Approved |
| 26/P/1123/LBC Long Ashton | Listed Building Consent to improve accessibility to the house including 2no. new | Approved |
| 26/P/0788/FUH Wrington | Proposed erection of a detached double garage to the East of the site. | 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 20,178 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 20,178 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 20,178 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in North Somerset is 90.3%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 20,178 planning decisions from North Somerset council. 18,222 were approved and 1,956 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in North Somerset is 90.3%, 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.