Oldham Council approves 89.8% of planning applications, based on 6,405 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Oldham sits 4.8 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,060 decided applications, Oldham Council approved 89.0% of planning applications in 2025. Across 6,405 decisions on record (January 2018 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Oldham is 89.8%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Oldham council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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 | 4,934 | 515 | 5,449 | 90.5% |
| Other | 893 | 129 | 1,022 | 87.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 238 | 20 | 258 | 92.2% |
| Advertisement | 201 | 44 | 245 | 82.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 165 | 31 | 196 | 84.2% |
| Listed Building | 177 | 19 | 196 | 90.3% |
| Prior Approval | 119 | 21 | 140 | 85.0% |
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 | 682 | 101 | 783 | 87.1% |
| Saddleworth South | 630 | 69 | 699 | 90.1% |
| Coldhurst | 550 | 59 | 609 | 90.3% |
| Chadderton North | 389 | 49 | 438 | 88.8% |
| Saint Mary's | 398 | 35 | 433 | 91.9% |
| Chadderton Central | 367 | 46 | 413 | 88.9% |
| Werneth | 351 | 59 | 410 | 85.6% |
| Failsworth East | 320 | 29 | 349 | 91.7% |
| Saddleworth West And Lees | 309 | 35 | 344 | 89.8% |
| Royton North | 303 | 28 | 331 | 91.5% |
| Chadderton South | 295 | 30 | 325 | 90.8% |
| Royton South | 275 | 22 | 297 | 92.6% |
| Shaw | 263 | 32 | 295 | 89.2% |
| Failsworth West | 261 | 15 | 276 | 94.6% |
| Medlock Vale | 232 | 33 | 265 | 87.5% |
| Alexandra | 225 | 27 | 252 | 89.3% |
| Hollinwood | 196 | 42 | 238 | 82.4% |
| Crompton | 217 | 19 | 236 | 91.9% |
| Waterhead | 215 | 13 | 228 | 94.3% |
| Saint James' | 193 | 24 | 217 | 88.9% |
How Oldham’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 11.4pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| HOU/356423/26 Saddleworth South | Erection of a single storey side extension to form garage | Approved |
| HOU/356694/26 Coldhurst | Single storey rear extension | Approved |
| HOU/356584/26 Werneth | Part single storey and part two storey rear extension. | Approved |
| PDE/356703/26 Chadderton Central | Erection of a single storey rear extension with a maximum length of 4m, maximum | Approved |
| HOU/356299/26 Saddleworth West And Lees | 1) Front and rear dormer 2) Demolition of existing garage 3) New detached single | Approved |
| FUL/356274/26 Chadderton South | Change of use of hot food takeaway and first floor residential unit above to cre | Approved |
| FUL/356270/26 Royton South | Erection of a single storey side extension to main wing | Approved |
| HOU/356244/26 Saddleworth South | 1) Front extension 2) Front and rear dormers 3) Portico to front entrance | Approved |
| HOU/355982/26 Crompton | Single storey side and rear extension and formation of paved surface to the fron | Approved |
| FUL/355686/26 Failsworth East | Erection of 68 no. affordable dwellings (100% affordable housing scheme) with as | 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 Oldham's 6,405 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 6,405 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 6,405 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Oldham is 89.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 6,405 planning decisions from Oldham council. 5,751 were approved and 654 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2018 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Oldham is 89.8%, 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 Oldham? 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.