Rossendale planning approval rate
Rossendale council approved 91.5% of planning applications and refused 8.5%, based on 646 decisions analysed. Ranked 159th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
91.5%
overall approval rate
646
Decisions analysed
591
Approved
55
Refused
12
Wards covered
Planning in Rossendale? 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 Rossendale. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
88.4%
94.2%
100.0%
94.7%
85.2%
100.0%
92.3%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Rossendale, mined from 646 proposal descriptions.
92.4%
89.6%
93.3%
86.0%
89.7%
86.7%
100.0%
93.3%
92.9%
90.9%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Rossendale. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Greenfield And Eden
91.7%
Longholme
98.7%
Hareholme And Waterfoot
90.4%
Haslingden
80.6%
Helmshore
89.7%
Britannia And Lee Mill
96.4%
Goodshaw And Cribden
93.8%
Whitworth
93.3%
Whitewell And Stacksteads
90.9%
Bacup
87.5%
Wards in Rossendale
Greenfield And Eden
91.7% approval · 108 decisions
Longholme
98.7% approval · 79 decisions
Hareholme And Waterfoot
90.4% approval · 73 decisions
Haslingden
80.6% approval · 72 decisions
Helmshore
89.7% approval · 68 decisions
Britannia And Lee Mill
96.4% approval · 56 decisions
Goodshaw And Cribden
93.8% approval · 48 decisions
Whitworth
93.3% approval · 45 decisions
Whitewell And Stacksteads
90.9% approval · 44 decisions
Bacup
87.5% approval · 32 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Rossendale, showing how the council decides real applications.
Rear single storey extension · Hareholme And Waterfoot · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Householder: Rear single storey extension · Goodshaw And Cribden · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Householder: Proposed Conversion of Existing Garage to extend existing residenti · Longholme · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Rossendale, 1 in 12 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 Rossendale
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Rossendale →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Rossendale
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 646 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Rossendale
What is the planning approval rate in Rossendale?
Based on 646 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Rossendale approved 91.5% of applications and refused 8.5%. The council is ranked 159th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Rossendale?
Rossendale refuses 8.5% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 12. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 646 decided applications since 2020, 55 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Rossendale have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Rossendale are in Longholme (98.7%), Britannia And Lee Mill (96.4%), and Greenfield And Eden (91.7%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Rossendale?
The most common planning application types in Rossendale are: Full (310 decisions, 88.4% approved), Other (103, 94.2%), and Trees (72, 100.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Rossendale?
Planning applications in Rossendale take an average of 13.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 645 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. Rossendale decides approximately 108 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Rossendale?
You can search planning applications in Rossendale directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 646 historical decisions in Rossendale to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Rossendale calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Rossendale'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.