Which ward in Sunderland has the highest planning approval rate?

Houghton South And Hetton Downs at 100.0% based on 10 decisions.

Which ward in Sunderland has the lowest planning approval rate?

Roker at 63.6% based on 11 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Sunderland?

There is a 36.4% gap between Houghton South And Hetton Downs and Roker. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Sunderland

Planning outcomes in Sunderland are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 36.4% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

11,042 real decisions·35 wards·Updated August 2026

All 35 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Houghton South And Hetton Downs	10	10	0	100.0%
2	Tunstall And Humbledon	21	20	1	95.2%
3	Washington South	267	254	13	95.1%
4	Silksworth	249	231	18	92.8%
5	St Chads	315	291	24	92.4%
6	St Michaels	940	868	72	92.3%
7	Fulwell	647	595	52	92.0%
8	Sandhill	116	106	10	91.4%
9	Pallion	199	181	18	91.0%
10	Barnes	246	223	23	90.7%
11	St Peters	422	381	41	90.3%
12	Washington Central	388	350	38	90.2%
13	Hylton Castle	10	9	1	90.0%
14	Washington North	595	535	60	89.9%
15	Shiney Row	431	387	44	89.8%
16	St Annes	278	248	30	89.2%
17	Millfield	710	629	81	88.6%
18	Southwick	598	529	69	88.5%
19	Washington West	373	329	44	88.2%
20	Deptford And Hendon	59	52	7	88.1%
21	Ryhope	477	419	58	87.8%
22	Hendon	726	636	90	87.6%
23	Washington East	336	294	42	87.5%
24	Castle	256	223	33	87.1%
25	Houghton	389	336	53	86.4%
26	Doxford	609	515	94	84.6%
27	Pennywell And South Hylton	13	11	2	84.6%
28	Doxford Park	19	16	3	84.2%
29	Herrington And Newbottle	19	16	3	84.2%
30	Hetton	497	409	88	82.3%
31	Copt Hill	445	357	88	80.2%
32	Barnes And Thornhill	10	8	2	80.0%
33	Redhill	148	116	32	78.4%
34	Houghton North	27	21	6	77.8%
35	Roker	11	7	4	63.6%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in Houghton South And Hetton Downs but face serious resistance in Roker.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

A 36.4% gap separates the best and worst wards. Houghton South And Hetton Downs approves 100.0% of applications while Roker approves just 63.6%. 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

1,262 planning applications in Sunderland 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 3,780,000+ real decisions

More Sunderland planning data

Nearby councils ward breakdowns

Methodology: Covers 11,042 planning decisions in Sunderland, January 2020 to August 2026. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from Sunderland Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →