Swansea planning approval rate
Swansea council approved 85.7% of planning applications and refused 14.3%, based on 3,668 decisions analysed. Ranked 53rd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
85.7%
overall approval rate
3,668
Decisions analysed
3,143
Approved
525
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.
81.8%
86.0%
98.2%
90.2%
85.5%
100.0%
95.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Swansea, mined from 3,668 proposal descriptions.
83.4%
82.1%
82.9%
65.8%
85.8%
88.2%
85.4%
75.9%
61.5%
47.5%
76.2%
81.0%
80.0%
58.8%
84.6%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Swansea. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Castle - Bay Area
91.4%
Gower - Area 2
88.3%
Sketty - Bay Area
87.0%
Llansamlet - Area 1
90.1%
Uplands - Bay Area
72.0%
Morriston - Area 1
88.2%
Pennard - Area 2
88.6%
Oystermouth - Bay Area
74.8%
Cockett - Area 1
84.4%
Mumbles - Area 2
78.3%
West Cross - Bay Area
82.7%
Clydach - Area 1
86.5%
St. Thomas - Bay Area
84.3%
Landore - Area 1
92.0%
Mynyddbach - Area 1
82.9%
Bishopston - Area 2
80.5%
Penclawdd - Area 2
71.6%
Pontarddulais - Area 1
86.2%
Mayals - Bay Area
80.0%
Llangyfelach - Area 1
92.2%
Wards in Swansea
Castle - Bay Area
91.4% approval · 290 decisions
Gower - Area 2
88.3% approval · 265 decisions
Sketty - Bay Area
87.0% approval · 253 decisions
Llansamlet - Area 1
90.1% approval · 171 decisions
Uplands - Bay Area
72.0% approval · 164 decisions
Morriston - Area 1
88.2% approval · 161 decisions
Pennard - Area 2
88.6% approval · 123 decisions
Oystermouth - Bay Area
74.8% approval · 115 decisions
Cockett - Area 1
84.4% approval · 109 decisions
Mumbles - Area 2
78.3% approval · 106 decisions
West Cross - Bay Area
82.7% approval · 104 decisions
Clydach - Area 1
86.5% approval · 89 decisions
St. Thomas - Bay Area
84.3% approval · 89 decisions
Landore - Area 1
92.0% approval · 88 decisions
Mynyddbach - Area 1
82.9% approval · 82 decisions
Bishopston - Area 2
80.5% approval · 82 decisions
Penclawdd - Area 2
71.6% approval · 81 decisions
Pontarddulais - Area 1
86.2% approval · 80 decisions
Mayals - Bay Area
80.0% approval · 80 decisions
Llangyfelach - Area 1
92.2% approval · 77 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Swansea, showing how the council decides real applications.
Part ground floor and first floor rear extension · Dunvant And Killay - Area 2 · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Single storey front extension and external alterations to pavilion · Mumbles - Area 2 · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Demolition of sections of existing buildings to facilitate side extension, link · Uplands - Bay Area · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 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 3,668 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Swansea
What is the planning approval rate in Swansea?
Based on 3,668 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Swansea approved 85.7% of applications and refused 14.3%. The council is ranked 53rd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Swansea?
Swansea refuses 14.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 7. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 3,668 decided applications since 2020, 525 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 (96.0%), Newton - Area 2 (94.2%), and Llangyfelach - Area 1 (92.2%). 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 (1,848 decisions, 81.8% approved), Other (942, 86.0%), and Discharge of Conditions (541, 98.2%).
How long does a planning application take in Swansea?
Planning applications in Swansea take an average of 13.0 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 786 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 611 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 3,668 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.