Sheffield Council approves 90.6% of planning applications, based on 7,218 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Sheffield sits 2.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 207 decided applications, Sheffield Council approved 97.1% of planning applications in 2025. Across 7,218 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Sheffield is 90.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Sheffield council planning portal records · Updated August 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 Sheffield.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 3,741 | 397 | 4,138 | 90.4% |
| Trees | 1,581 | 42 | 1,623 | 97.4% |
| Other | 514 | 65 | 579 | 88.8% |
| Advertisement | 210 | 30 | 240 | 87.5% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 177 | 47 | 224 | 79.0% |
| Prior Approval | 142 | 82 | 224 | 63.4% |
| Listed Building | 126 | 9 | 135 | 93.3% |
| Change of Use | 50 | 5 | 55 | 90.9% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nether Edge And Sharrow | 702 | 52 | 754 | 93.1% |
| Fulwood | 673 | 31 | 704 | 95.6% |
| Broomhill And Sharrow Vale | 618 | 41 | 659 | 93.8% |
| Dore & Totley | 544 | 52 | 596 | 91.3% |
| Ecclesall | 406 | 47 | 453 | 89.6% |
| City | 388 | 28 | 416 | 93.3% |
| Darnall | 276 | 32 | 308 | 89.6% |
| Stannington | 246 | 47 | 293 | 84.0% |
| Crookes And Crosspool | 231 | 30 | 261 | 88.5% |
| Stocksbridge & Upper Don | 223 | 32 | 255 | 87.5% |
| Graves Park | 204 | 26 | 230 | 88.7% |
| Hillsborough | 187 | 27 | 214 | 87.4% |
| Beauchief & Greenhill | 199 | 15 | 214 | 93.0% |
| West Ecclesfield | 160 | 21 | 181 | 88.4% |
| Burngreave | 141 | 33 | 174 | 81.0% |
| East Ecclesfield | 146 | 18 | 164 | 89.0% |
| Mosborough | 136 | 25 | 161 | 84.5% |
| Walkley | 142 | 9 | 151 | 94.0% |
| Manor Castle | 135 | 8 | 143 | 94.4% |
| Woodhouse | 127 | 7 | 134 | 94.8% |
| Beighton | 109 | 19 | 128 | 85.2% |
| Birley | 96 | 7 | 103 | 93.2% |
| Gleadless Valley | 80 | 17 | 97 | 82.5% |
| Richmond | 84 | 13 | 97 | 86.6% |
| Park And Arbourthorne | 83 | 11 | 94 | 88.3% |
Showing top 25 of 28 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Sheffield’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.2pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Sheffield council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/02110/LD2 Burngreave | Application for Lawful Development Certificate for alterations to roof to form a | Approved |
| 26/01957/FUL East Ecclesfield | Demolition of conservatory and erection of a single-storey rear extension to dwe | Approved |
| 26/01874/LD2 Dore & Totley | Application for Lawful Development Certificate for alterations to roof to form a | Approved |
| 26/01853/FUL Graves Park | Replacement of existing garage door with front elevation window and installation | Approved |
| 26/01731/FUL Ecclesall | Erection of two-storey side extension to dwellinghouse | Approved |
| 26/01625/FUL Hillsborough | Erection of a two-storey side extension above the existing Garage | Approved |
| 26/01551/FUL Hillsborough | Demolition of detached garage and conservatory, erection of two-storey side exte | Approved |
| 26/01409/RG3 Nether Edge And Sharrow | Installation of Premises Information Box to front of property (Application under | Approved |
| 26/00987/FUL Dore & Totley | Erection of single-storey detached outbuilding to rear garden of dwellinghouse | Approved |
| 26/00891/FUL Hillsborough | Erection of an industrial/warehouse building (Use Class E(g)(iii) and B8) within | 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 Sheffield's 7,218 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Sheffield's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Sheffield'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 Sheffield. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 7,218 real decisions from Sheffield 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 Sheffield'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 7,218 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Sheffield is 90.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 7,218 planning decisions from Sheffield council. 6,541 were approved and 677 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Sheffield is 90.6%, 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 Sheffield? 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.