Sefton Council approves 87.5% of planning applications, based on 6,655 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Sefton is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,413 decided applications, Sefton Council approved 89.3% of planning applications in 2025. Across 6,655 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Sefton is 87.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Sefton council planning portal records · Updated June 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 Sefton.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 3,605 | 322 | 3,927 | 91.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 842 | 179 | 1,021 | 82.5% |
| Other | 490 | 97 | 587 | 83.5% |
| Trees | 340 | 10 | 350 | 97.1% |
| Prior Approval | 237 | 103 | 340 | 69.7% |
| Advertisement | 173 | 28 | 201 | 86.1% |
| Listed Building | 133 | 8 | 141 | 94.3% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1 | 87 | 88 | 1.1% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dukes | 675 | 100 | 775 | 87.1% |
| Harington | 588 | 75 | 663 | 88.7% |
| Blundellsands | 414 | 47 | 461 | 89.8% |
| Manor | 374 | 60 | 434 | 86.2% |
| Park | 339 | 49 | 388 | 87.4% |
| Ravenmeols | 344 | 30 | 374 | 92.0% |
| Meols | 304 | 31 | 335 | 90.7% |
| Birkdale | 287 | 39 | 326 | 88.0% |
| Church | 258 | 58 | 316 | 81.6% |
| Molyneux | 260 | 50 | 310 | 83.9% |
| Ainsdale | 269 | 24 | 293 | 91.8% |
| Sudell | 239 | 35 | 274 | 87.2% |
| Victoria | 208 | 28 | 236 | 88.1% |
| Cambridge | 188 | 19 | 207 | 90.8% |
| Norwood | 170 | 32 | 202 | 84.2% |
| Kew | 175 | 21 | 196 | 89.3% |
| Netherton And Orrell | 151 | 26 | 177 | 85.3% |
| Linacre | 145 | 31 | 176 | 82.4% |
| Derby | 125 | 38 | 163 | 76.7% |
| Litherland | 114 | 14 | 128 | 89.1% |
| Ford | 104 | 20 | 124 | 83.9% |
| St Oswald | 66 | 7 | 73 | 90.4% |
How Sefton’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 1.8pp since 2022.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
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/2026/00729 Birkdale | Demolition of existing pergola and erection of single-storey rear extension | Approved |
| DC/2026/00725 Molyneux | Erection of a part single, part first floor extension at the side and a porch at | Approved |
| DC/2026/00572 Birkdale | Extension to rear and side of a dwelling house, after demolition of existing con | Approved |
| DC/2026/00480 Cambridge | Proposed single storey rear and side extension, including steps, raised patio an | Approved |
| DC/2026/00722 Molyneux | Change of Use from C3 Residential to C2 Children's Home | Refused |
| DC/2026/00714 Netherton And Orrell | Retrospective application for change of use from cafe (Use Class E) to hot food | Approved |
| DC/2026/00475 Park | Erection of a two storey first floor extension, two storey front gable extension | Refused |
| DC/2026/00317 Derby | Change of use from former day nursery (Use Class E(f)) to independent special sc | Refused |
| DC/2026/00485 Park | Erection of a joint single storey rear extension to 306 and 304 Liverpool Road S | Approved |
| DC/2026/00695 Netherton And Orrell | Erection of a single storey rear extension after demolition of existing outrigge | 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 Sefton's 6,655 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare 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:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Sefton. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 6,655 real decisions from Sefton 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 Sefton'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 6,655 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Sefton is 87.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 6,655 planning decisions from Sefton council. 5,821 were approved and 834 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 free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Sefton? 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.