Sunderland Council approves 91.4% of planning applications, based on 6,219 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Sunderland sits 6.4 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,202 decided applications, Sunderland Council approved 86.4% of planning applications in 2025. Across 6,219 decisions on record (January 2018 to October 2026), the overall approval rate in Sunderland is 91.4%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Sunderland council planning portal records · Data to 2 October 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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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 | 4,891 | 430 | 5,321 | 91.9% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 2,660 | 645 | 3,305 | 80.5% |
| Trees | 790 | 31 | 821 | 96.2% |
| Other | 610 | 86 | 696 | 87.6% |
| Advertisement | 499 | 39 | 538 | 92.8% |
| Listed Building | 235 | 7 | 242 | 97.1% |
| Prior Approval | 225 | 16 | 241 | 93.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 0 | 22 | 22 | 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, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
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 | 868 | 72 | 940 | 92.3% |
| Hendon | 636 | 90 | 726 | 87.6% |
| Millfield | 629 | 81 | 710 | 88.6% |
| Fulwell | 599 | 53 | 652 | 91.9% |
| Southwick | 542 | 72 | 614 | 88.3% |
| Doxford | 515 | 94 | 609 | 84.6% |
| Washington North | 538 | 60 | 598 | 90.0% |
| Hetton | 415 | 92 | 507 | 81.9% |
| Ryhope | 429 | 58 | 487 | 88.1% |
| Copt Hill | 358 | 88 | 446 | 80.3% |
| Shiney Row | 387 | 44 | 431 | 89.8% |
| St Peters | 381 | 41 | 422 | 90.3% |
| Washington Central | 353 | 38 | 391 | 90.3% |
| Houghton | 336 | 53 | 389 | 86.4% |
| Washington West | 332 | 44 | 376 | 88.3% |
| Washington East | 302 | 42 | 344 | 87.8% |
| St Chads | 291 | 24 | 315 | 92.4% |
| St Annes | 248 | 30 | 278 | 89.2% |
| Washington South | 259 | 14 | 273 | 94.9% |
| Castle | 223 | 33 | 256 | 87.1% |
| Silksworth | 231 | 18 | 249 | 92.8% |
| Barnes | 223 | 23 | 246 | 90.7% |
| Pallion | 181 | 18 | 199 | 91.0% |
| Redhill | 116 | 32 | 148 | 78.4% |
| Sandhill | 106 | 10 | 116 | 91.4% |
Showing top 25 of 39 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Sunderland’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 3.3pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01778/FUL Houghton North | Erection of a single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/01080/FUL Hylton Castle | Two storey extension to the side of the property with ground floor garage and fi | Approved |
| 26/01686/FUL Washington South | Proposed front porch. | Approved |
| 26/01604/FUL Hylton Castle | Erection of single storey front/side/rear extension (Amended description 08.09.2 | Approved |
| 26/01734/FUL Washington West | Erection of single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/01513/FU4 Deptford And Hendon | Change of use from Class E to Sui Generis (Bingo Operator) | Approved |
| 26/01512/FUL Herrington And Newbottle | Demolition of existing conservatory and erection of a new flat roof single-store | Approved |
| 26/01727/FHH Grangetown | Erection of 2 storey side extension single storey rear extension and front canop | Approved |
| 26/00501/FUL Southwick | Conversion from ground floor retail and first floor residential to Sui Generis m | Refused |
| 26/01621/FUL Hylton Castle | Erection of single storey side extension. Installation of new openings, applicat | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Sunderland's 6,219 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare 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:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Sunderland. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 6,219 real decisions from Sunderland council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Sunderland's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 6,219 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Sunderland is 91.4%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 6,219 planning decisions from Sunderland council. 5,683 were approved and 536 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2018 to October 2026.
The average approval rate in Sunderland is 91.4%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Sunderland? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.