Which ward in Sheffield has the highest planning approval rate?

Fulwood at 95.5% based on 728 decisions.

Which ward in Sheffield has the lowest planning approval rate?

Burngreave at 81.7% based on 186 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Sheffield?

There is a 13.8% gap between Fulwood and Burngreave. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Sheffield

Planning outcomes in Sheffield are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 13.8% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

4,671 real decisions·28 wards·Updated September 2026

All 28 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Fulwood	728	695	33	95.5%
2	Woodhouse	140	133	7	95.0%
3	Broomhill And Sharrow Vale	675	633	42	93.8%
4	Walkley	161	151	10	93.8%
5	City	438	408	30	93.2%
6	Birley	103	96	7	93.2%
7	Manor Castle	148	138	10	93.2%
8	Nether Edge And Sharrow	781	728	53	93.2%
9	Beauchief & Greenhill	222	206	16	92.8%
10	Dore & Totley	618	566	52	91.6%
11	Southey	76	69	7	90.8%
12	Darnall	326	292	34	89.6%
13	East Ecclesfield	171	153	18	89.5%
14	Ecclesall	473	421	52	89.0%
15	Firth Park	89	79	10	88.8%
16	Graves Park	240	213	27	88.8%
17	Crookes And Crosspool	266	236	30	88.7%
18	Park And Arbourthorne	96	85	11	88.5%
19	West Ecclesfield	188	166	22	88.3%
20	Hillsborough	223	196	27	87.9%
21	Stocksbridge & Upper Don	263	231	32	87.8%
22	Shiregreen & Brightside	76	66	10	86.8%
23	Richmond	98	85	13	86.7%
24	Beighton	132	113	19	85.6%
25	Mosborough	169	143	26	84.6%
26	Stannington	300	251	49	83.7%
27	Gleadless Valley	100	83	17	83.0%
28	Burngreave	186	152	34	81.7%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in Fulwood but face serious resistance in Burngreave.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

A 13.8% gap separates the best and worst wards. Fulwood approves 95.5% of applications while Burngreave approves just 81.7%. That's a fundamentally different planning environment.

High volume doesn't mean high approval. Some of the busiest wards aren't the most permissive. The number of applications a ward processes tells you nothing about how likely yours is to succeed.

Ward averages are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your specific outcome depends on your property, your neighbours, your proposal type and the comparable decisions near your address.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

517 planning applications in Sheffield have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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Free · Property report emailed in minutes · Based on 3,840,000+ real decisions

More Sheffield planning data

Nearby councils ward breakdowns

Methodology: Covers 4,671 planning decisions in Sheffield, January 2020 to September 2026. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from Sheffield Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →