Sefton Council approves 87.5% of planning applications, based on 6,453 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Sefton is closely in line with the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — 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 Sefton.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 3,502 | 315 | 3,817 | 91.7% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 801 | 174 | 975 | 82.2% |
| Other | 479 | 90 | 569 | 84.2% |
| Trees | 331 | 10 | 341 | 97.1% |
| Prior Approval | 228 | 102 | 330 | 69.1% |
| Advertisement | 171 | 28 | 199 | 85.9% |
| Listed Building | 131 | 8 | 139 | 94.2% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1 | 82 | 83 | 1.2% |
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dukes Ward | 659 | 98 | 757 | 87.1% |
| Harington Ward | 573 | 71 | 644 | 89.0% |
| Blundellsands Ward | 409 | 47 | 456 | 89.7% |
| Manor Ward | 364 | 58 | 422 | 86.3% |
| Park Ward | 329 | 48 | 377 | 87.3% |
| Ravenmeols Ward | 336 | 29 | 365 | 92.1% |
| Meols Ward | 293 | 31 | 324 | 90.4% |
| Church Ward | 253 | 57 | 310 | 81.6% |
| Birkdale Ward | 273 | 37 | 310 | 88.1% |
| Molyneux Ward | 248 | 47 | 295 | 84.1% |
| Ainsdale Ward | 260 | 23 | 283 | 91.9% |
| Sudell Ward | 229 | 35 | 264 | 86.7% |
| Victoria Ward | 203 | 28 | 231 | 87.9% |
| Cambridge Ward | 179 | 19 | 198 | 90.4% |
| Norwood Ward | 165 | 32 | 197 | 83.8% |
| Kew Ward | 171 | 21 | 192 | 89.1% |
| Netherton And Orrell Ward | 140 | 25 | 165 | 84.8% |
| Linacre Ward | 136 | 29 | 165 | 82.4% |
| Derby Ward | 122 | 37 | 159 | 76.7% |
| Litherland Ward | 112 | 11 | 123 | 91.1% |
| Ford Ward | 103 | 19 | 122 | 84.4% |
| St Oswald Ward | 63 | 7 | 70 | 90.0% |
Real residential planning decisions from Sefton council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| DC/2026/00097 Derby Ward | Prior approval submission for a proposed rear extension projecting 4.0 metres fr | Approved |
| DC/2026/00065 Harington Ward | Proposed Single Storey Extension to Front and Side of Dwelling | Approved |
| DC/2025/02057 Ainsdale Ward | Single storey extension to side and porch extension to front | Approved |
| DC/2026/00016 Meols Ward | Retrospective application for the erection of a single storey extension to the f | Refused |
| DC/2026/00004 Victoria Ward | Erection of single storey extensions to the side and rear of the dwellinghouse | Approved |
| DC/2026/00025 Molyneux Ward | Proposed single storey side and rear extension. | Approved |
| DC/2025/02069 Harington Ward | Pitching of the flat roof above a first floor bedroom and small flat roof at gro | Approved |
| DC/2026/00032 Church Ward | Single storey rear extension and enlargement of existing dormer to create roof t | Approved |
| DC/2026/00023 Harington Ward | Erection of a first floor extension to the rear of the dwellinghouse and additio | Approved |
| DC/2026/00019 Cambridge Ward | Three external air source heat pump units mounted on the flat roof of the single | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Sefton's 6,453 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
Get My Pro Report — £79Compare Sefton's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Sefton's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 6,453 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Sefton is 87.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 6,453 planning decisions from Sefton council. 5,644 were approved and 809 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Sefton is 87.5%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.