Nottingham Council approves 94.2% of planning applications, based on 7,135 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Nottingham sits 5.9 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,746 decided applications, Nottingham Council approved 91.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 7,135 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Nottingham is 94.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Nottingham council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Nottingham.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 3,202 | 258 | 3,460 | 92.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 994 | 9 | 1,003 | 99.1% |
| Trees | 798 | 42 | 840 | 95.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 634 | 34 | 668 | 94.9% |
| Advertisement | 360 | 25 | 385 | 93.5% |
| Other | 302 | 9 | 311 | 97.1% |
| Listed Building | 270 | 5 | 275 | 98.2% |
| Prior Approval | 160 | 33 | 193 | 82.9% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle | 1,066 | 52 | 1,118 | 95.3% |
| Lenton And Wollaton East | 653 | 53 | 706 | 92.5% |
| Hyson Green And Arboretum | 484 | 33 | 517 | 93.6% |
| Mapperley | 491 | 24 | 515 | 95.3% |
| Wollaton West | 456 | 25 | 481 | 94.8% |
| St Anns | 431 | 20 | 451 | 95.6% |
| Sherwood | 314 | 17 | 331 | 94.9% |
| Dales | 298 | 30 | 328 | 90.9% |
| Berridge | 305 | 16 | 321 | 95.0% |
| Leen Valley | 284 | 16 | 300 | 94.7% |
| Radford | 248 | 30 | 278 | 89.2% |
| Meadows | 250 | 19 | 269 | 92.9% |
| Clifton West | 255 | 9 | 264 | 96.6% |
| Bilborough | 246 | 14 | 260 | 94.6% |
| Basford | 219 | 16 | 235 | 93.2% |
| Bulwell | 181 | 8 | 189 | 95.8% |
| Aspley | 135 | 13 | 148 | 91.2% |
| Bulwell Forest | 129 | 8 | 137 | 94.2% |
| Bestwood | 122 | 3 | 125 | 97.6% |
| Clifton East | 106 | 8 | 114 | 93.0% |
| Bridge | 13 | 0 | 13 | 100.0% |
| Radford And Park | 6 | 0 | 6 | 100.0% |
How Nottingham’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 6.4pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Nottingham council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00565/PFUL3 Wollaton West | Provision of photovoltaic cells to part of three roofs (facing away from Lime Tr | Approved |
| 26/00789/PCLE Lenton And Wollaton East | C4 use - house for multiple occupation (or HMO) where they share basic amenities | Approved |
| 26/00868/PNMA Dales | No Material Amendment application to change 3no windows to 2no. as shown on draw | Approved |
| 26/00719/PVAR3 Wollaton West | Partial alteration to the rear elevation at first floor level ( permission 24/00 | Approved |
| 26/00717/PACPD Castle | Change of Use from offices to create 13 x C3 apartments | Approved |
| 26/00692/LLIS1 Radford | Secondary glazing to all flats | Approved |
| 26/00584/PFUL3 Mapperley | Erection of single storey detached garage within existing garden of dwelling. | Approved |
| 26/00560/PFUL3 Sherwood | Installation of a new shopfront and installation of air conditioning units. | Approved |
| 26/00403/PFUL3 Lenton And Wollaton East | Form a single storey rear extension , a New porch to the front elevation and a l | Approved |
| 26/00392/PFUL3 Castle | Conversion of internal storage areas to rear of first and second floors to provi | 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 Nottingham's 7,135 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Nottingham's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Nottingham'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 Nottingham. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 7,135 real decisions from Nottingham 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 Nottingham'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 7,135 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Nottingham is 94.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 7,135 planning decisions from Nottingham council. 6,720 were approved and 415 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Nottingham is 94.2%, 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 Nottingham? 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.