Sunderland Council approves 88.6% of planning applications, based on 10,884 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Sunderland is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,202 decided applications, Sunderland Council approved 86.4% of planning applications in 2025. Across 10,884 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Sunderland is 88.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Sunderland council planning portal records · Updated June 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 Sunderland.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 4,772 | 416 | 5,188 | 92.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 2,566 | 629 | 3,195 | 80.3% |
| Trees | 768 | 31 | 799 | 96.1% |
| Other | 598 | 86 | 684 | 87.4% |
| Advertisement | 485 | 39 | 524 | 92.6% |
| Prior Approval | 221 | 16 | 237 | 93.2% |
| Listed Building | 229 | 6 | 235 | 97.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 0 | 22 | 22 | 0.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Michaels | 866 | 72 | 938 | 92.3% |
| Hendon | 636 | 90 | 726 | 87.6% |
| Millfield | 628 | 81 | 709 | 88.6% |
| Fulwell | 590 | 52 | 642 | 91.9% |
| Doxford | 515 | 94 | 609 | 84.6% |
| Washington North | 533 | 60 | 593 | 89.9% |
| Southwick | 520 | 66 | 586 | 88.7% |
| Hetton | 409 | 88 | 497 | 82.3% |
| Ryhope | 414 | 57 | 471 | 87.9% |
| Copt Hill | 357 | 88 | 445 | 80.2% |
| Shiney Row | 387 | 44 | 431 | 89.8% |
| St Peters | 381 | 41 | 422 | 90.3% |
| Houghton | 336 | 53 | 389 | 86.4% |
| Washington Central | 347 | 38 | 385 | 90.1% |
| Washington West | 326 | 44 | 370 | 88.1% |
| Washington East | 291 | 41 | 332 | 87.7% |
| St Chads | 291 | 24 | 315 | 92.4% |
| St Annes | 248 | 30 | 278 | 89.2% |
| Washington South | 249 | 13 | 262 | 95.0% |
| Castle | 223 | 33 | 256 | 87.1% |
| Silksworth | 231 | 18 | 249 | 92.8% |
| Barnes | 223 | 23 | 246 | 90.7% |
| Pallion | 181 | 18 | 199 | 91.0% |
| Redhill | 116 | 32 | 148 | 78.4% |
| Sandhill | 106 | 10 | 116 | 91.4% |
Showing top 25 of 35 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Sunderland’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 3.9pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Sunderland council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01031/FUL Tunstall And Humbledon | Erection of orangery to rear | Approved |
| 26/01030/FUL Houghton South And Hetton Downs | Erection of conservatory to rear. | Approved |
| 25/02888/FUL Hetton | Demolition of derelict former school building (Part Retrospective) | Approved |
| 26/00887/FUL Southwick | Erection of two storey extension to side and rear and single storey extensions t | Approved |
| 26/01050/ADV Deptford And Hendon | Proposed painted fascia signage to shop front of 170-171 High Street West, propo | Approved |
| 26/01051/LBC Deptford And Hendon | Painted mural to gable of building and new signage to front elevation. | Approved |
| 26/00989/FUL Houghton South And Hetton Downs | Erection of first floor extension to the front. | Approved |
| 26/00865/ADV Hylton Castle | Erection of 1no internally illuminated pylon sign at entrance and 5no internally | Approved |
| 26/00540/FUL Tunstall And Humbledon | Erection of first floor rear/side extension | Approved |
| 26/01046/FUL Houghton South And Hetton Downs | Replace front window with french doors and installation of modular access ramp. | 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 Sunderland's 10,884 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Sunderland's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Sunderland'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 Sunderland. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 10,884 real decisions from Sunderland 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 Sunderland'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 10,884 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Sunderland is 88.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 10,884 planning decisions from Sunderland council. 9,639 were approved and 1,245 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Sunderland is 88.6%, 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 Sunderland? 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.