Wakefield planning approval rate

Wakefield council approved 89.7% of planning applications and refused 10.3%, based on 12,601 decisions analysed. Ranked 93rd out of 221 councils for strictness.

Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

89.7%

overall approval rate

12,601

Decisions analysed

11,309

Approved

1,292

Refused

Wards covered

Planning in Wakefield? 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 Wakefield. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.

Full (8,042 decided)

91.9%

Other (1,673 decided)

92.5%

Trees (1,096 decided)

64.3%

Certificate of Lawfulness (878 decided)

94.1%

Advertisement (451 decided)

88.0%

Listed Building (322 decided)

94.7%

Change of Use (135 decided)

97.8%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Wakefield — mined from 12,601 proposal descriptions.

Extension (General) (2,681 decided)

95.1%

Garage / Parking (2,163 decided)

91.7%

Rear Extension (1,770 decided)

96.4%

Side Extension (1,124 decided)

95.4%

Change of Use (Residential) (873 decided)

86.7%

Dormer (650 decided)

91.1%

Outbuilding (537 decided)

87.3%

New Build (503 decided)

88.1%

Conservatory (348 decided)

97.4%

Front Extension (264 decided)

95.1%

Loft Conversion (242 decided)

95.5%

Wraparound Extension (169 decided)

97.6%

Annex (119 decided)

92.4%

HMO (71 decided)

67.6%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (61 decided)

96.7%

Basement (58 decided)

93.1%

Flat Conversion (28 decided)

89.3%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Wakefield. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

Wakefield Rural (1,123 decided)

87.8%

Wakefield North (935 decided)

90.5%

Wakefield South (864 decided)

88.5%

Ackworth, North Elmsall And Upton (817 decided)

86.5%

Pontefract North (704 decided)

89.8%

Crofton, Ryhill And Walton (694 decided)

86.3%

Wrenthorpe And Outwood West (690 decided)

90.9%

Ossett (677 decided)

90.8%

Horbury And South Ossett (675 decided)

88.6%

Stanley And Outwood East (613 decided)

91.8%

Pontefract South (563 decided)

88.6%

Castleford Central And Glasshoughton (552 decided)

93.8%

Wakefield East (526 decided)

89.2%

Altofts And Whitwood (493 decided)

93.3%

Wakefield West (461 decided)

89.4%

Normanton (443 decided)

90.3%

South Elmsall And South Kirkby (418 decided)

91.1%

Featherstone (395 decided)

89.6%

Hemsworth (387 decided)

90.7%

Knottingley (296 decided)

91.6%

Wards in Wakefield

Wakefield Rural

87.8% approval · 1,123 decisions

Wakefield North

90.5% approval · 935 decisions

Wakefield South

88.5% approval · 864 decisions

Ackworth, North Elmsall And Upton

86.5% approval · 817 decisions

Pontefract North

89.8% approval · 704 decisions

Crofton, Ryhill And Walton

86.3% approval · 694 decisions

Wrenthorpe And Outwood West

90.9% approval · 690 decisions

Ossett

90.8% approval · 677 decisions

Horbury And South Ossett

88.6% approval · 675 decisions

Stanley And Outwood East

91.8% approval · 613 decisions

Pontefract South

88.6% approval · 563 decisions

Castleford Central And Glasshoughton

93.8% approval · 552 decisions

Wakefield East

89.2% approval · 526 decisions

Altofts And Whitwood

93.3% approval · 493 decisions

Wakefield West

89.4% approval · 461 decisions

Normanton

90.3% approval · 443 decisions

South Elmsall And South Kirkby

91.1% approval · 418 decisions

Featherstone

89.6% approval · 395 decisions

Hemsworth

90.7% approval · 387 decisions

Knottingley

91.6% approval · 296 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Wakefield, showing how the council decides real applications.

26/00134/FUL

First floor extension to front and rear & partial garage conversion · Crofton, Ryhill And Walton · Thu 12 Mar 2026

Approved

26/00101/FUL

Single storey front extension · Wakefield North · Wed 11 Mar 2026

Approved

26/00211/CPL

Replacing existing conservatory with a single storey rear extension. · Normanton · Thu 05 Mar 2026

Approved

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Wakefield, 1 in 10 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:

✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Wakefield
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Get Wakefield Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 12,601 decisions.

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