Which ward in Sunderland has the highest planning approval rate?

Grangetown at 100.0% based on 11 decisions.

Which ward in Sunderland has the lowest planning approval rate?

Roker at 69.2% based on 13 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Sunderland?

There is a 30.8% gap between Grangetown 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 30.8% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

6,219 real decisions·38 wards·Updated October 2026

All 38 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Grangetown	11	11	0	100.0%
2	Houghton South And Hetton Downs	16	16	0	100.0%
3	Penshaw And Shiney Row	14	14	0	100.0%
4	Farringdon And Silksworth	10	10	0	100.0%
5	Tunstall And Humbledon	32	31	1	96.9%
6	Washington South	273	259	14	94.9%
7	Hylton Castle	17	16	1	94.1%
8	Silksworth	249	231	18	92.8%
9	St Chads	315	291	24	92.4%
10	St Michaels	940	868	72	92.3%
11	Fulwell	652	599	53	91.9%
12	Sandhill	116	106	10	91.4%
13	Pallion	199	181	18	91.0%
14	Barnes	246	223	23	90.7%
15	St Peters	422	381	41	90.3%
16	Washington Central	391	353	38	90.3%
17	Washington North	598	538	60	90.0%
18	Shiney Row	431	387	44	89.8%
19	St Annes	278	248	30	89.2%
20	Millfield	710	629	81	88.6%
21	Deptford And Hendon	70	62	8	88.6%
22	Southwick	614	542	72	88.3%
23	Washington West	376	332	44	88.3%
24	Ryhope	487	429	58	88.1%
25	Washington East	344	302	42	87.8%
26	Hendon	726	636	90	87.6%
27	Castle	256	223	33	87.1%
28	Pennywell And South Hylton	15	13	2	86.7%
29	Houghton	389	336	53	86.4%
30	Doxford Park	28	24	4	85.7%
31	Doxford	609	515	94	84.6%
32	Hetton	507	415	92	81.9%
33	Houghton North	32	26	6	81.2%
34	Copt Hill	446	358	88	80.3%
35	Herrington And Newbottle	25	20	5	80.0%
36	Redhill	148	116	32	78.4%
37	Barnes And Thornhill	13	10	3	76.9%
38	Roker	13	9	4	69.2%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in Grangetown 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 30.8% gap separates the best and worst wards. Grangetown approves 100.0% of applications while Roker approves just 69.2%. 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

536 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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More Sunderland planning data

Nearby councils ward breakdowns

Methodology: Covers 6,219 planning decisions in Sunderland, January 2020 to October 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 →