Swansea planning approval rate
Swansea council approved 85.8% of planning applications and refused 14.2%, based on 3,900 decisions analysed. Ranked 55th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
85.8%
overall approval rate
3,900
Decisions analysed
3,346
Approved
554
Refused
44
Wards covered
Planning in Swansea? 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 Swansea. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
82.2%
85.9%
98.0%
89.7%
86.0%
100.0%
96.3%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Swansea, mined from 3,900 proposal descriptions.
83.7%
82.7%
83.1%
68.0%
86.4%
89.7%
86.6%
76.6%
63.9%
42.3%
72.7%
81.8%
81.0%
58.8%
85.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Swansea. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Castle - Bay Area
91.2%
Gower - Area 2
88.4%
Sketty - Bay Area
87.6%
Llansamlet - Area 1
90.1%
Uplands - Bay Area
71.7%
Morriston - Area 1
87.7%
Mumbles - Area 2
76.7%
Pennard - Area 2
89.1%
Oystermouth - Bay Area
74.8%
West Cross - Bay Area
83.5%
Cockett - Area 1
84.4%
Landore - Area 1
89.5%
Clydach - Area 1
88.2%
Bishopston - Area 2
81.3%
St. Thomas - Bay Area
84.3%
Mayals - Bay Area
80.7%
Penclawdd - Area 2
73.6%
Mynyddbach - Area 1
83.3%
Pontarddulais - Area 1
86.7%
Llangyfelach - Area 1
93.8%
Wards in Swansea
Castle - Bay Area
91.2% approval · 308 decisions
Gower - Area 2
88.4% approval · 284 decisions
Sketty - Bay Area
87.6% approval · 275 decisions
Llansamlet - Area 1
90.1% approval · 182 decisions
Uplands - Bay Area
71.7% approval · 180 decisions
Morriston - Area 1
87.7% approval · 171 decisions
Mumbles - Area 2
76.7% approval · 133 decisions
Pennard - Area 2
89.1% approval · 128 decisions
Oystermouth - Bay Area
74.8% approval · 115 decisions
West Cross - Bay Area
83.5% approval · 109 decisions
Cockett - Area 1
84.4% approval · 109 decisions
Landore - Area 1
89.5% approval · 95 decisions
Clydach - Area 1
88.2% approval · 93 decisions
Bishopston - Area 2
81.3% approval · 91 decisions
St. Thomas - Bay Area
84.3% approval · 89 decisions
Mayals - Bay Area
80.7% approval · 88 decisions
Penclawdd - Area 2
73.6% approval · 87 decisions
Mynyddbach - Area 1
83.3% approval · 84 decisions
Pontarddulais - Area 1
86.7% approval · 83 decisions
Llangyfelach - Area 1
93.8% approval · 81 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Swansea, showing how the council decides real applications.
Increase in width of front first floor window. · Mumbles - Area 2 · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Rear dormer, removal of sun room and erection of a single storey rear extension, · Sketty - Bay Area · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Change of use from a 2 bedroom house (Class C3) to a 4 bedroom HMO (Class C4) · Castle - Bay Area · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Swansea, 1 in 7 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 Swansea
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Swansea →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Swansea
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 3,900 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Swansea
What is the planning approval rate in Swansea?
Based on 3,900 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Swansea approved 85.8% of applications and refused 14.2%. The council is ranked 55th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Swansea?
Swansea refuses 14.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 7. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 3,900 decided applications since 2020, 554 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Swansea have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Swansea are in Penderry - Area 1 (96.2%), Newton - Area 2 (94.2%), and Llwchwr - Area 1 (94.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Swansea?
The most common planning application types in Swansea are: Full (1,978 decisions, 82.2% approved), Other (974, 85.9%), and Discharge of Conditions (592, 98.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Swansea?
Planning applications in Swansea take an average of 12.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,033 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. Swansea decides approximately 650 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Swansea?
You can search planning applications in Swansea directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 3,900 historical decisions in Swansea to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Swansea calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Swansea'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.