Sunderland planning approval rate

Sunderland council approved 88.6% of planning applications and refused 11.4%, based on 10,482 decisions analysed. Ranked 83rd out of 221 councils for strictness.

Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

88.6%

overall approval rate

10,482

Decisions analysed

9,283

Approved

1,199

Refused

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.

Full (5,028 decided)

92.1%

Discharge of Conditions (3,035 decided)

80.0%

Trees (774 decided)

96.4%

Other (668 decided)

87.1%

Advertisement (501 decided)

92.2%

Prior Approval (229 decided)

93.4%

Listed Building (227 decided)

97.4%

Certificate of Lawfulness (20 decided)

0.0%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Sunderland — mined from 10,482 proposal descriptions.

Extension (General) (1,399 decided)

94.6%

Garage / Parking (1,054 decided)

92.2%

Rear Extension (1,019 decided)

95.6%

Side Extension (747 decided)

94.6%

New Build (701 decided)

90.3%

Change of Use (Residential) (688 decided)

81.1%

Dormer (255 decided)

79.6%

Outbuilding (161 decided)

89.4%

Conservatory (145 decided)

97.2%

Front Extension (140 decided)

90.7%

Wraparound Extension (80 decided)

97.5%

Loft Conversion (53 decided)

86.8%

HMO (48 decided)

56.2%

Basement (31 decided)

90.3%

Annex (23 decided)

82.6%

Flat Conversion (20 decided)

90.0%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Sunderland. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

St Michaels (909 decided)

92.3%

Hendon (707 decided)

87.3%

Millfield (693 decided)

88.5%

Fulwell (621 decided)

91.8%

Doxford (597 decided)

84.8%

Washington North (577 decided)

89.9%

Southwick (571 decided)

88.6%

Hetton (475 decided)

81.5%

Ryhope (460 decided)

88.0%

Copt Hill (437 decided)

80.8%

Shiney Row (418 decided)

90.0%

St Peters (414 decided)

90.1%

Houghton (381 decided)

86.6%

Washington Central (379 decided)

90.0%

Washington West (358 decided)

88.0%

Washington East (310 decided)

88.1%

St Chads (310 decided)

92.3%

St Annes (267 decided)

89.1%

Washington South (257 decided)

94.9%

Castle (246 decided)

87.0%

Wards in Sunderland

St Michaels

92.3% approval · 909 decisions

Hendon

87.3% approval · 707 decisions

Millfield

88.5% approval · 693 decisions

Fulwell

91.8% approval · 621 decisions

Doxford

84.8% approval · 597 decisions

Washington North

89.9% approval · 577 decisions

Southwick

88.6% approval · 571 decisions

Hetton

81.5% approval · 475 decisions

Ryhope

88.0% approval · 460 decisions

Copt Hill

80.8% approval · 437 decisions

Shiney Row

90.0% approval · 418 decisions

St Peters

90.1% approval · 414 decisions

Houghton

86.6% approval · 381 decisions

Washington Central

90.0% approval · 379 decisions

Washington West

88.0% approval · 358 decisions

Washington East

88.1% approval · 310 decisions

St Chads

92.3% approval · 310 decisions

St Annes

89.1% approval · 267 decisions

Washington South

94.9% approval · 257 decisions

Castle

87.0% approval · 246 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Sunderland, showing how the council decides real applications.

26/00290/FUL

Erection of single storey rear extension and garage conversion · Castle · Tue 10 Mar 2026

Approved

26/00241/FUL

Erection of a single-storey pitched roof [infill] side extension, plus alteratio · Fulwell · Thu 05 Mar 2026

Approved

25/02964/PCZ

Installation of 270no. solar PVs panels to roof of existing Aldi Foodstore to pr · St Annes · Wed 04 Mar 2026

Approved

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Sunderland, 1 in 9 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report 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

Get Sunderland Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 10,482 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

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