Trafford planning approval rate
Trafford council approved 88.2% of planning applications and refused 11.8%, based on 13,295 decisions analysed. Ranked 91st out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
88.2%
overall approval rate
13,295
Decisions analysed
11,725
Approved
1,570
Refused
33
Wards covered
Planning in Trafford? 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 Trafford. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
88.9%
99.3%
83.8%
78.5%
72.3%
75.4%
89.1%
87.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Trafford, mined from 13,295 proposal descriptions.
90.5%
91.0%
86.4%
93.8%
83.9%
82.0%
90.4%
92.6%
89.6%
88.1%
84.6%
86.6%
81.8%
93.8%
85.1%
71.4%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Trafford. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Bowdon
88.5%
Altrincham
83.7%
Broadheath
90.1%
Hale Barns
90.3%
Hale Central
91.1%
Brooklands
93.9%
Longford
84.4%
Sale Moor
87.5%
Urmston
85.3%
Hale Barns & Timperley South
83.0%
Flixton
92.3%
Timperley
93.0%
Hale
84.2%
Priory
91.0%
Bucklow St Martins
91.9%
Ashton On Mersey
92.8%
St Marys
93.1%
Gorse Hill
90.9%
Davyhulme East
94.5%
Davyhulme West
90.4%
Wards in Trafford
Bowdon
88.5% approval · 1,077 decisions
Altrincham
83.7% approval · 963 decisions
Broadheath
90.1% approval · 768 decisions
Hale Barns
90.3% approval · 713 decisions
Hale Central
91.1% approval · 642 decisions
Brooklands
93.9% approval · 640 decisions
Longford
84.4% approval · 572 decisions
Sale Moor
87.5% approval · 504 decisions
Urmston
85.3% approval · 497 decisions
Hale Barns & Timperley South
83.0% approval · 489 decisions
Flixton
92.3% approval · 479 decisions
Timperley
93.0% approval · 454 decisions
Hale
84.2% approval · 419 decisions
Priory
91.0% approval · 366 decisions
Bucklow St Martins
91.9% approval · 345 decisions
Ashton On Mersey
92.8% approval · 335 decisions
St Marys
93.1% approval · 304 decisions
Gorse Hill
90.9% approval · 297 decisions
Davyhulme East
94.5% approval · 290 decisions
Davyhulme West
90.4% approval · 271 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Trafford, showing how the council decides real applications.
Listed Building Consent for reinstatement works to single storey south-west wing · Altrincham · Wed 24 Dec 2025
Reinstatement works to single storey south-west wing of property following fire · Altrincham · Wed 24 Dec 2025
Application for Permission in Principle for residential development of up to 8no · Gorse Hill & Cornbrook · Tue 23 Dec 2025
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Trafford, 1 in 8 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 Trafford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Trafford →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Trafford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 13,295 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Trafford
What is the planning approval rate in Trafford?
Based on 13,295 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Trafford approved 88.2% of applications and refused 11.8%. The council is ranked 91st out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Trafford?
Trafford refuses 11.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is close to the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 13,295 decided applications since 2020, 1,570 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Trafford have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Trafford are in Davyhulme East (94.5%), Brooklands (93.9%), and Village (93.5%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Trafford?
The most common planning application types in Trafford are: Full (9,176 decisions, 88.9% approved), Certificate of Lawfulness (1,246, 86.1%), and Trees (961, 99.3%).
How long does a planning application take in Trafford?
Planning applications in Trafford take an average of 11.9 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 13,241 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. Trafford decides approximately 2,216 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Trafford?
You can search planning applications in Trafford directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 13,295 historical decisions in Trafford to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Trafford calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Trafford'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.