Sunderland planning approval rate
Sunderland council approved 88.6% of planning applications and refused 11.4%, based on 10,884 decisions analysed. Ranked 99th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
88.6%
overall approval rate
10,884
Decisions analysed
9,639
Approved
1,245
Refused
35
Wards covered
Planning in Sunderland? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Sunderland. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
92.0%
80.3%
96.1%
87.4%
92.6%
93.2%
97.4%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Sunderland, mined from 10,884 proposal descriptions.
94.6%
92.2%
95.5%
94.7%
90.3%
79.8%
88.9%
97.3%
91.0%
97.7%
86.8%
52.9%
90.6%
83.3%
90.5%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Sunderland. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
St Michaels
92.3%
Hendon
87.6%
Millfield
88.6%
Fulwell
91.9%
Doxford
84.6%
Washington North
89.9%
Southwick
88.7%
Hetton
82.3%
Ryhope
87.9%
Copt Hill
80.2%
Shiney Row
89.8%
St Peters
90.3%
Houghton
86.4%
Washington Central
90.1%
Washington West
88.1%
Washington East
87.7%
St Chads
92.4%
St Annes
89.2%
Washington South
95.0%
Castle
87.1%
Wards in Sunderland
St Michaels
92.3% approval · 938 decisions
Hendon
87.6% approval · 726 decisions
Millfield
88.6% approval · 709 decisions
Fulwell
91.9% approval · 642 decisions
Doxford
84.6% approval · 609 decisions
Washington North
89.9% approval · 593 decisions
Southwick
88.7% approval · 586 decisions
Hetton
82.3% approval · 497 decisions
Ryhope
87.9% approval · 471 decisions
Copt Hill
80.2% approval · 445 decisions
Shiney Row
89.8% approval · 431 decisions
St Peters
90.3% approval · 422 decisions
Houghton
86.4% approval · 389 decisions
Washington Central
90.1% approval · 385 decisions
Washington West
88.1% approval · 370 decisions
Washington East
87.7% approval · 332 decisions
St Chads
92.4% approval · 315 decisions
St Annes
89.2% approval · 278 decisions
Washington South
95.0% approval · 262 decisions
Castle
87.1% approval · 256 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Sunderland, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of orangery to rear · Tunstall And Humbledon · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Erection of conservatory to rear. · Houghton South And Hetton Downs · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Demolition of derelict former school building (Part Retrospective) · Hetton · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Sunderland, 1 in 9 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Sunderland
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Sunderland →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Sunderland
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 10,884 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Sunderland
What is the planning approval rate in Sunderland?
Based on 10,884 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Sunderland approved 88.6% of applications and refused 11.4%. The council is ranked 99th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Sunderland?
Sunderland refuses 11.4% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 9. That is close to the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 10,884 decided applications since 2020, 1,245 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Sunderland have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Sunderland are in Washington South (95.0%), Silksworth (92.8%), and St Chads (92.4%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Sunderland?
The most common planning application types in Sunderland are: Full (5,188 decisions, 92.0% approved), Discharge of Conditions (3,195, 80.3%), and Trees (799, 96.1%).
How long does a planning application take in Sunderland?
Planning applications in Sunderland take an average of 10.3 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 10,818 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Sunderland decides approximately 1,814 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Sunderland?
You can search planning applications in Sunderland directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 10,884 historical decisions in Sunderland to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Sunderland calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Sunderland's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.