Sefton Council approves 90.5% of planning applications, based on 5,018 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Sefton sits 5.5 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,500 decided applications, Sefton Council approved 90.1% of planning applications in 2025. Across 5,018 decisions on record (January 2022 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Sefton is 90.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Sefton council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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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 | 3,966 | 331 | 4,297 | 92.3% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 964 | 184 | 1,148 | 84.0% |
| Other | 529 | 104 | 633 | 83.6% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 410 | 91 | 501 | 81.8% |
| Trees | 379 | 15 | 394 | 96.2% |
| Prior Approval | 263 | 111 | 374 | 70.3% |
| Advertisement | 189 | 33 | 222 | 85.1% |
| Listed Building | 151 | 4 | 155 | 97.4% |
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 | 765 | 107 | 872 | 87.7% |
| Harington | 697 | 74 | 771 | 90.4% |
| Blundellsands | 480 | 52 | 532 | 90.2% |
| Manor | 419 | 64 | 483 | 86.7% |
| Park | 390 | 48 | 438 | 89.0% |
| Ravenmeols | 395 | 30 | 425 | 92.9% |
| Birkdale | 338 | 41 | 379 | 89.2% |
| Meols | 341 | 33 | 374 | 91.2% |
| Church | 304 | 62 | 366 | 83.1% |
| Molyneux | 310 | 51 | 361 | 85.9% |
| Ainsdale | 304 | 26 | 330 | 92.1% |
| Sudell | 284 | 36 | 320 | 88.8% |
| Victoria | 252 | 29 | 281 | 89.7% |
| Cambridge | 214 | 20 | 234 | 91.5% |
| Kew | 212 | 21 | 233 | 91.0% |
| Norwood | 198 | 31 | 229 | 86.5% |
| Linacre | 185 | 33 | 218 | 84.9% |
| Netherton And Orrell | 183 | 26 | 209 | 87.6% |
| Derby | 147 | 40 | 187 | 78.6% |
| Litherland | 151 | 14 | 165 | 91.5% |
| Ford | 125 | 20 | 145 | 86.2% |
| St Oswald | 85 | 9 | 94 | 90.4% |
| Formby West | 10 | 1 | 11 | 90.9% |
| Maghull East | 5 | 2 | 7 | 71.4% |
| Formby East | 6 | 0 | 6 | 100.0% |
Showing top 25 of 26 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Sefton’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 1.0pp 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/2026/01325 Blundellsands | Erection of a single-storey rear extension, formation of rear bifold door openin | Approved |
| DC/2026/01021 Dukes | Change of use of ground floor from fast food takeaway to 1no. duplex flat includ | Approved |
| DC/2026/00498 Blundellsands | Proposed conversion of 1no. tennis court to 2no. padel courts with an overhead c | Approved |
| DC/2026/00141 Park | Development of 3no. two storey detached dwellings with associated parking and ga | Approved |
| DC/2026/01335 Dukes | Two storey side extension | Approved |
| DC/2026/00407 Blundellsands | Outline application for the erection of 1no. two storey, three bedroom detached | Approved |
| DC/2026/01307 Birkdale | Single Storey Side Extension to Form New Garage | Approved |
| DC/2026/01271 Formby West | Proposed Single, Two Storey & First Floor Extension to Front, Two Storey Extensi | Approved |
| DC/2026/01081 Meols | Erection of a single storey pitched roof extension to the rear/side. | Approved |
| DC/2026/01377 Great Crosby | Single storey rear extension. | 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 5,018 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 5,018 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 5,018 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Sefton is 90.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 5,018 planning decisions from Sefton council. 4,539 were approved and 479 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2022 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Sefton is 90.5%, 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.