Nottingham Council approves 94.3% of planning applications, based on 7,376 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Nottingham sits 5.7 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 7,376 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Nottingham is 94.3%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Nottingham council planning portal records · Updated August 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 | 3,314 | 258 | 3,572 | 92.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,017 | 9 | 1,026 | 99.1% |
| Trees | 848 | 42 | 890 | 95.3% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 661 | 35 | 696 | 95.0% |
| Advertisement | 372 | 26 | 398 | 93.5% |
| Other | 311 | 9 | 320 | 97.2% |
| Listed Building | 272 | 5 | 277 | 98.2% |
| Prior Approval | 164 | 33 | 197 | 83.2% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle | 1,105 | 52 | 1,157 | 95.5% |
| Lenton And Wollaton East | 671 | 53 | 724 | 92.7% |
| Hyson Green And Arboretum | 506 | 33 | 539 | 93.9% |
| Mapperley | 509 | 24 | 533 | 95.5% |
| Wollaton West | 481 | 25 | 506 | 95.1% |
| St Anns | 437 | 21 | 458 | 95.4% |
| Sherwood | 323 | 17 | 340 | 95.0% |
| Dales | 306 | 31 | 337 | 90.8% |
| Berridge | 316 | 16 | 332 | 95.2% |
| Leen Valley | 301 | 16 | 317 | 95.0% |
| Radford | 255 | 30 | 285 | 89.5% |
| Meadows | 261 | 19 | 280 | 93.2% |
| Clifton West | 261 | 9 | 270 | 96.7% |
| Bilborough | 254 | 14 | 268 | 94.8% |
| Basford | 225 | 16 | 241 | 93.4% |
| Bulwell | 187 | 8 | 195 | 95.9% |
| Aspley | 140 | 13 | 153 | 91.5% |
| Bulwell Forest | 134 | 8 | 142 | 94.4% |
| Bestwood | 128 | 3 | 131 | 97.7% |
| Clifton East | 111 | 8 | 119 | 93.3% |
| 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 6.5pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01037/PFUL3 Bulwell | Installation of window on south side elevation of building, and installation of | Approved |
| 26/00570/PFUL3 Basford | Proposed single storey front and rear extensions and the application of silicone | Approved |
| 26/01005/PFUL3 St Anns | Shopfront alterations including installation of signage, and other minor associa | Approved |
| 26/00364/PFUL3 Leen Valley | Single storey front extension. | Approved |
| 24/01964/PFUL3 Dales | Increase in height to provide two additional floors, including a rear dormer; a | Approved |
| 26/00939/PFUL3 Aspley | Proposed residential annexe ancillary to 68 Tenbury Crescent. | Approved |
| 26/00888/PAHPD Wollaton West | Single storey rear extension 5.15m depth, 4.00m height, 2.75m height to eaves. | Approved |
| 26/00788/PFUL3 Castle | Relocation and renovation of existing entrance gate to Tokenhouse Yard | Approved |
| 26/00891/PFUL3 Sherwood | Single storey rear and side extension | Approved |
| 26/00696/PFUL3 Wollaton West | Demolition of existing timber storage buildings and water storage tanks; erectio | 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 7,376 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 7,376 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 7,376 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Nottingham is 94.3%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 7,376 planning decisions from Nottingham council. 6,959 were approved and 417 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Nottingham is 94.3%, 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 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.