Nottingham planning approval rate
Nottingham council approved 94.2% of planning applications and refused 5.8%, based on 7,135 decisions analysed. Ranked 212th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
94.2%
overall approval rate
7,135
Decisions analysed
6,720
Approved
415
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.
92.5%
99.1%
95.0%
93.5%
97.1%
98.2%
82.9%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Nottingham, mined from 7,135 proposal descriptions.
94.6%
96.6%
93.7%
84.2%
93.0%
95.2%
93.4%
93.9%
96.6%
96.4%
91.9%
97.6%
92.2%
98.7%
97.1%
90.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Nottingham. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Castle (May 2019)
95.3%
Lenton And Wollaton East (May 2019)
92.5%
Hyson Green And Arboretum (May 2019)
93.6%
Mapperley (May 2019)
95.3%
Wollaton West (May 2019)
94.8%
St Anns (May 2019)
95.6%
Sherwood (May 2019)
94.9%
Dales (May 2019)
90.9%
Berridge (May 2019)
95.0%
Leen Valley (May 2019)
94.7%
Radford (May 2019)
89.2%
Meadows (May 2019)
92.9%
Clifton West (May 2019)
96.6%
Bilborough (May 2019)
94.6%
Basford (May 2019)
93.2%
Bulwell (May 2019)
95.8%
Aspley (May 2019)
91.2%
Bulwell Forest (May 2019)
94.2%
Bestwood (May 2019)
97.6%
Clifton East (May 2019)
93.0%
Wards in Nottingham
Castle (May 2019)
95.3% approval · 1,118 decisions
Lenton And Wollaton East (May 2019)
92.5% approval · 706 decisions
Hyson Green And Arboretum (May 2019)
93.6% approval · 517 decisions
Mapperley (May 2019)
95.3% approval · 509 decisions
Wollaton West (May 2019)
94.8% approval · 481 decisions
St Anns (May 2019)
95.6% approval · 451 decisions
Sherwood (May 2019)
94.9% approval · 331 decisions
Dales (May 2019)
90.9% approval · 328 decisions
Berridge (May 2019)
95.0% approval · 321 decisions
Leen Valley (May 2019)
94.7% approval · 300 decisions
Radford (May 2019)
89.2% approval · 278 decisions
Meadows (May 2019)
92.9% approval · 269 decisions
Clifton West (May 2019)
96.6% approval · 264 decisions
Bilborough (May 2019)
94.6% approval · 260 decisions
Basford (May 2019)
93.2% approval · 235 decisions
Bulwell (May 2019)
95.8% approval · 189 decisions
Aspley (May 2019)
91.2% approval · 148 decisions
Bulwell Forest (May 2019)
94.2% approval · 137 decisions
Bestwood (May 2019)
97.6% approval · 125 decisions
Clifton East (May 2019)
93.0% approval · 114 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Nottingham, showing how the council decides real applications.
Provision of photovoltaic cells to part of three roofs (facing away from Lime Tr · Wollaton West (May 2019) · Fri 26 Jun 2026
C4 use - house for multiple occupation (or HMO) where they share basic amenities · Lenton And Wollaton East (May 2019) · Thu 25 Jun 2026
No Material Amendment application to change 3no windows to 2no. as shown on draw · Dales (May 2019) · Thu 25 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Nottingham, 1 in 17 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 7,135 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Nottingham
What is the planning approval rate in Nottingham?
Based on 7,135 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Nottingham approved 94.2% of applications and refused 5.8%. The council is ranked 212th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Nottingham?
Nottingham refuses 5.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 17. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 7,135 decided applications since 2020, 415 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) (97.6%), Clifton West (May 2019) (96.6%), and Bulwell (May 2019) (95.8%). 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 (3,460 decisions, 92.5% approved), Discharge of Conditions (1,003, 99.1%), and Trees (840, 95.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Nottingham?
Planning applications in Nottingham take an average of 12.0 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 7,049 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 1,189 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 7,135 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.