Sunderland Council approves 88.6% of planning applications, based on 10,482 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Sunderland is closely in line with the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — 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 Sunderland.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 4,629 | 399 | 5,028 | 92.1% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 2,429 | 606 | 3,035 | 80.0% |
| Trees | 746 | 28 | 774 | 96.4% |
| Other | 582 | 86 | 668 | 87.1% |
| Advertisement | 462 | 39 | 501 | 92.2% |
| Prior Approval | 214 | 15 | 229 | 93.4% |
| Listed Building | 221 | 6 | 227 | 97.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 0 | 20 | 20 | 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.
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 | 839 | 70 | 909 | 92.3% |
| Hendon | 617 | 90 | 707 | 87.3% |
| Millfield | 613 | 80 | 693 | 88.5% |
| Fulwell | 570 | 51 | 621 | 91.8% |
| Doxford | 506 | 91 | 597 | 84.8% |
| Washington North | 519 | 58 | 577 | 89.9% |
| Southwick | 506 | 65 | 571 | 88.6% |
| Hetton | 387 | 88 | 475 | 81.5% |
| Ryhope | 405 | 55 | 460 | 88.0% |
| Copt Hill | 353 | 84 | 437 | 80.8% |
| Shiney Row | 376 | 42 | 418 | 90.0% |
| St Peters | 373 | 41 | 414 | 90.1% |
| Houghton | 330 | 51 | 381 | 86.6% |
| Washington Central | 341 | 38 | 379 | 90.0% |
| Washington West | 315 | 43 | 358 | 88.0% |
| Washington East | 273 | 37 | 310 | 88.1% |
| St Chads | 286 | 24 | 310 | 92.3% |
| St Annes | 238 | 29 | 267 | 89.1% |
| Washington South | 244 | 13 | 257 | 94.9% |
| Castle | 214 | 32 | 246 | 87.0% |
| Silksworth | 226 | 17 | 243 | 93.0% |
| Barnes | 217 | 23 | 240 | 90.4% |
| Pallion | 177 | 18 | 195 | 90.8% |
| Redhill | 115 | 32 | 147 | 78.2% |
| Sandhill | 105 | 10 | 115 | 91.3% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00290/FUL Castle | Erection of single storey rear extension and garage conversion | Approved |
| 26/00241/FUL Fulwell | Erection of a single-storey pitched roof [infill] side extension, plus alteratio | Approved |
| 25/02964/PCZ St Annes | Installation of 270no. solar PVs panels to roof of existing Aldi Foodstore to pr | Approved |
| 25/02937/FUL Washington North | Change of Use from Storage (Use Class B2/B8) to Padel Facility (Use Class E(d)) | Refused |
| 26/00090/ADV Hendon | External non-illuminated signage to front elevation. | Refused |
| 26/00023/PA8 Millfield | Prior Approval in respect of repairs to the window surrounds on the Priestman Bu | Approved |
| 25/02957/ADV Washington North | Display of 2no. digital 75" LCD display screens, one on each side of the Street | Approved |
| 25/02793/FU4 Houghton | Erection of single-storey extension along the south side of the existing PE bloc | Approved |
| 24/01404/FUL Shiney Row | Change of use from horse menage (Use Class Sui Generis) to Café (Use Class E(b)) | Refused |
| 25/02955/ADV Millfield | Display of 2no. digital 75" LCD display screens, one on each side of the Street | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Sunderland's 10,482 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
Get My Pro Report — £79Compare 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:
Based on 10,482 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Sunderland is 88.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 10,482 planning decisions from Sunderland council. 9,283 were approved and 1,199 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 PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.