Pendle planning approval rate
Pendle council approved 86.2% of planning applications and refused 13.8%, based on 3,531 decisions analysed. Ranked 60th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
86.2%
overall approval rate
3,531
Decisions analysed
3,045
Approved
486
Refused
30
Wards covered
Planning in Pendle? 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 Pendle. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
85.9%
93.7%
84.6%
81.3%
85.6%
87.2%
91.5%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Pendle, mined from 3,531 proposal descriptions.
87.1%
85.3%
88.4%
84.4%
88.9%
88.6%
87.8%
89.8%
89.7%
85.4%
83.3%
80.8%
90.5%
89.5%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Pendle. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Boulsworth & Foulridge
85.6%
Barrowford & Pendleside
84.9%
Earby & Coates
89.1%
Bradley
88.8%
Barnoldswick
88.1%
Brierfield West & Reedley
87.6%
Whitefield & Walverden
82.4%
Brierfield East & Clover Hill
90.3%
Marsden & Southfield
91.4%
Fence & Higham
86.1%
Vivary Bridge
80.6%
Waterside & Horsfield
79.9%
Higham And Pendleside
96.2%
Boulsworth
88.0%
Reedley
81.0%
Earby
90.5%
Wards in Pendle
Boulsworth & Foulridge
85.6% approval · 499 decisions
Barrowford & Pendleside
84.9% approval · 484 decisions
Earby & Coates
89.1% approval · 359 decisions
Bradley
88.8% approval · 285 decisions
Barnoldswick
88.1% approval · 252 decisions
Brierfield West & Reedley
87.6% approval · 250 decisions
Whitefield & Walverden
82.4% approval · 250 decisions
Brierfield East & Clover Hill
90.3% approval · 207 decisions
Marsden & Southfield
91.4% approval · 185 decisions
Fence & Higham
86.1% approval · 173 decisions
Vivary Bridge
80.6% approval · 170 decisions
Waterside & Horsfield
79.9% approval · 159 decisions
Higham And Pendleside
96.2% approval · 26 decisions
Boulsworth
88.0% approval · 25 decisions
Reedley
81.0% approval · 21 decisions
Earby
90.5% approval · 21 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Pendle, showing how the council decides real applications.
Full: Erection of a single storey and two storey rear extension. · Brierfield West & Reedley · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Full: Raise roof ridge height of existing garage to provide first floor annex ac · Boulsworth & Foulridge · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Full: Erection of a single storey side extension. · Marsden & Southfield · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Pendle, 1 in 7 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 Pendle
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Pendle →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Pendle
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 3,531 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Pendle
What is the planning approval rate in Pendle?
Based on 3,531 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Pendle approved 86.2% of applications and refused 13.8%. The council is ranked 60th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Pendle?
Pendle refuses 13.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 7. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 3,531 decided applications since 2020, 486 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Pendle have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Pendle are in Marsden & Southfield (91.4%), Brierfield East & Clover Hill (90.3%), and Earby & Coates (89.1%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Pendle?
The most common planning application types in Pendle are: Full (2,202 decisions, 85.9% approved), Trees (541, 93.7%), and Other (369, 84.6%).
How long does a planning application take in Pendle?
Planning applications in Pendle take an average of 11.6 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 3,521 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. Pendle decides approximately 588 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Pendle?
You can search planning applications in Pendle directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 3,531 historical decisions in Pendle to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Pendle calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Pendle'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.