Nottingham planning approval rate
Nottingham council approved 94.3% of planning applications and refused 5.7%, based on 7,376 decisions analysed. Ranked 230th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
94.3%
overall approval rate
7,376
Decisions analysed
6,959
Approved
417
Refused
23
Wards covered
Planning in Nottingham? 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 Nottingham. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
92.8%
99.1%
95.3%
93.5%
97.2%
98.2%
83.2%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Nottingham, mined from 7,376 proposal descriptions.
94.8%
96.7%
93.9%
84.7%
93.2%
95.4%
93.6%
94.1%
96.8%
96.4%
91.3%
97.7%
98.8%
92.6%
97.3%
91.1%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Nottingham. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Castle (May 2019)
95.5%
Lenton And Wollaton East (May 2019)
92.7%
Hyson Green And Arboretum (May 2019)
93.9%
Mapperley (May 2019)
95.4%
Wollaton West (May 2019)
95.1%
St Anns (May 2019)
95.4%
Sherwood (May 2019)
95.0%
Dales (May 2019)
90.8%
Berridge (May 2019)
95.2%
Leen Valley (May 2019)
95.0%
Radford (May 2019)
89.5%
Meadows (May 2019)
93.2%
Clifton West (May 2019)
96.7%
Bilborough (May 2019)
94.8%
Basford (May 2019)
93.4%
Bulwell (May 2019)
95.9%
Aspley (May 2019)
91.5%
Bulwell Forest (May 2019)
94.4%
Bestwood (May 2019)
97.7%
Clifton East (May 2019)
93.3%
Wards in Nottingham
Castle (May 2019)
95.5% approval · 1,157 decisions
Lenton And Wollaton East (May 2019)
92.7% approval · 724 decisions
Hyson Green And Arboretum (May 2019)
93.9% approval · 539 decisions
Mapperley (May 2019)
95.4% approval · 527 decisions
Wollaton West (May 2019)
95.1% approval · 506 decisions
St Anns (May 2019)
95.4% approval · 458 decisions
Sherwood (May 2019)
95.0% approval · 340 decisions
Dales (May 2019)
90.8% approval · 337 decisions
Berridge (May 2019)
95.2% approval · 332 decisions
Leen Valley (May 2019)
95.0% approval · 317 decisions
Radford (May 2019)
89.5% approval · 285 decisions
Meadows (May 2019)
93.2% approval · 280 decisions
Clifton West (May 2019)
96.7% approval · 270 decisions
Bilborough (May 2019)
94.8% approval · 268 decisions
Basford (May 2019)
93.4% approval · 241 decisions
Bulwell (May 2019)
95.9% approval · 195 decisions
Aspley (May 2019)
91.5% approval · 153 decisions
Bulwell Forest (May 2019)
94.4% approval · 142 decisions
Bestwood (May 2019)
97.7% approval · 131 decisions
Clifton East (May 2019)
93.3% approval · 119 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Nottingham, showing how the council decides real applications.
Installation of window on south side elevation of building, and installation of · Bulwell (May 2019) · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Proposed single storey front and rear extensions and the application of silicone · Basford (May 2019) · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Shopfront alterations including installation of signage, and other minor associa · St Anns (May 2019) · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Nottingham, 1 in 18 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 Nottingham
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Nottingham →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Nottingham
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 7,376 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Nottingham
What is the planning approval rate in Nottingham?
Based on 7,376 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Nottingham approved 94.3% of applications and refused 5.7%. The council is ranked 230th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Nottingham?
Nottingham refuses 5.7% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 18. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 7,376 decided applications since 2020, 417 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Nottingham have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Nottingham are in Bestwood (May 2019) (97.7%), Clifton West (May 2019) (96.7%), and Bulwell (May 2019) (95.9%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Nottingham?
The most common planning application types in Nottingham are: Full (3,572 decisions, 92.8% approved), Discharge of Conditions (1,026, 99.1%), and Trees (890, 95.3%).
How long does a planning application take in Nottingham?
Planning applications in Nottingham take an average of 11.9 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 7,288 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. Nottingham decides approximately 1,229 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Nottingham?
You can search planning applications in Nottingham directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 7,376 historical decisions in Nottingham to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Nottingham calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Nottingham'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.