Oldham Council approves 88.6% of planning applications, based on 6,836 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.0%. Oldham is closely in line with the national average.
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 Oldham.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 4,476 | 515 | 4,991 | 89.7% |
| Other | 805 | 126 | 931 | 86.5% |
| Advertisement | 175 | 44 | 219 | 79.9% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 181 | 20 | 201 | 90.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 152 | 31 | 183 | 83.1% |
| Listed Building | 156 | 19 | 175 | 89.1% |
| Prior Approval | 115 | 21 | 136 | 84.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saddleworth North | 626 | 100 | 726 | 86.2% |
| Saddleworth South | 579 | 69 | 648 | 89.4% |
| Coldhurst | 482 | 58 | 540 | 89.3% |
| Chadderton North | 348 | 49 | 397 | 87.7% |
| Saint Mary's | 351 | 35 | 386 | 90.9% |
| Werneth | 320 | 59 | 379 | 84.4% |
| Chadderton Central | 327 | 46 | 373 | 87.7% |
| Saddleworth West And Lees | 288 | 35 | 323 | 89.2% |
| Failsworth East | 285 | 29 | 314 | 90.8% |
| Royton North | 264 | 28 | 292 | 90.4% |
| Chadderton South | 255 | 30 | 285 | 89.5% |
| Royton South | 250 | 22 | 272 | 91.9% |
| Shaw | 240 | 32 | 272 | 88.2% |
| Failsworth West | 242 | 15 | 257 | 94.2% |
| Medlock Vale | 211 | 33 | 244 | 86.5% |
| Alexandra | 207 | 27 | 234 | 88.5% |
| Hollinwood | 176 | 42 | 218 | 80.7% |
| Crompton | 193 | 18 | 211 | 91.5% |
| Waterhead | 189 | 13 | 202 | 93.6% |
| Saint James' | 172 | 24 | 196 | 87.8% |
How Oldham’s planning approval rate has changed year by year — up 1.8pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Oldham council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| CEA/355526/26 Royton South | Hipped roof to be converted to a gable end with the construction of a rear dorme | Approved |
| HOU/355515/25 Chadderton Central | Two storey side extension. | Approved |
| HOU/355429/25 Coldhurst | Two storey rear extension | Approved |
| PDE/355511/25 Werneth | Single storey rear extension. Length - 4.40m Maximum Height - 3.40m Height to Ea | Approved |
| HOU/355505/25 Werneth | Erection of a part single-storey, part two-storey side and rear extension, front | Refused |
| HOU/355466/25 Saddleworth North | Demolition of the existing front porch and roof over the existing single-storey | Approved |
| FUL/355135/25 Medlock Vale | Demolition of former Honeywell Arms. | Approved |
| PRA2D/355557/26 Crompton | Prior approval is sought for the conversion of an existing agricultural building | Approved |
| LBC/353829/24 Saddleworth South | 1. Removal and reinstatement of roof slates to ensure building is watertight 2. | Approved |
| HOU/355430/25 Saddleworth North | Rear/side decking to allow level access to building (in part over 300mm above ex | Refused |
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 Oldham's 6,836 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Oldham's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Oldham'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 Oldham. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 6,836 real decisions from Oldham 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 Oldham'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 6,836 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Oldham is 88.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 6,836 planning decisions from Oldham council. 6,060 were approved and 776 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Oldham is 88.6%, 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.