Wakefield planning approval rate
Wakefield council approved 89.7% of planning applications and refused 10.3%, based on 13,310 decisions analysed. Ranked 117th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
89.7%
overall approval rate
13,310
Decisions analysed
11,940
Approved
1,370
Refused
21
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.
92.0%
92.5%
63.8%
87.9%
94.4%
97.8%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Wakefield, mined from 13,310 proposal descriptions.
95.0%
91.8%
96.5%
95.2%
91.1%
87.5%
87.5%
97.6%
95.3%
95.7%
97.8%
92.9%
71.1%
97.0%
93.8%
89.3%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Wakefield. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Wakefield Rural
87.6%
Wakefield North
90.4%
Wakefield South
88.1%
Ackworth, North Elmsall And Upton
86.5%
Crofton, Ryhill And Walton
86.8%
Pontefract North
89.8%
Wrenthorpe And Outwood West
91.1%
Ossett
90.8%
Horbury And South Ossett
88.8%
Stanley And Outwood East
92.1%
Pontefract South
88.1%
Castleford Central And Glasshoughton
93.8%
Wakefield East
89.0%
Altofts And Whitwood
92.8%
Wakefield West
88.8%
Normanton
90.7%
South Elmsall And South Kirkby
91.2%
Featherstone
90.0%
Hemsworth
90.9%
Knottingley
92.1%
Wards in Wakefield
Wakefield Rural
87.6% approval · 1,190 decisions
Wakefield North
90.4% approval · 985 decisions
Wakefield South
88.1% approval · 917 decisions
Ackworth, North Elmsall And Upton
86.5% approval · 874 decisions
Crofton, Ryhill And Walton
86.8% approval · 740 decisions
Pontefract North
89.8% approval · 732 decisions
Wrenthorpe And Outwood West
91.1% approval · 727 decisions
Ossett
90.8% approval · 706 decisions
Horbury And South Ossett
88.8% approval · 704 decisions
Stanley And Outwood East
92.1% approval · 630 decisions
Pontefract South
88.1% approval · 595 decisions
Castleford Central And Glasshoughton
93.8% approval · 593 decisions
Wakefield East
89.0% approval · 553 decisions
Altofts And Whitwood
92.8% approval · 512 decisions
Wakefield West
88.8% approval · 490 decisions
Normanton
90.7% approval · 484 decisions
South Elmsall And South Kirkby
91.2% approval · 442 decisions
Featherstone
90.0% approval · 422 decisions
Hemsworth
90.9% approval · 408 decisions
Knottingley
92.1% approval · 315 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Wakefield, showing how the council decides real applications.
Single storey extension to front including bay window and porch and single store · South Elmsall And South Kirkby · Thu 06 Aug 2026
Alterations to internal layout, removal of door on southern side elevation and a · Normanton · Wed 05 Aug 2026
The proposed works comprise the installation of a rear dormer, roof lights to fr · Normanton · Wed 05 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Wakefield, 1 in 10 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 Wakefield
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Wakefield →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Wakefield
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 13,310 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Wakefield
What is the planning approval rate in Wakefield?
Based on 13,310 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Wakefield approved 89.7% of applications and refused 10.3%. The council is ranked 117th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Wakefield?
Wakefield refuses 10.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 10. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 13,310 decided applications since 2020, 1,370 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Wakefield have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Wakefield are in Airedale And Ferry Fryston (94.2%), Castleford Central And Glasshoughton (93.8%), and Altofts And Whitwood (92.8%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Wakefield?
The most common planning application types in Wakefield are: Full (8,452 decisions, 92.0% approved), Other (1,790, 92.5%), and Trees (1,170, 63.8%).
How long does a planning application take in Wakefield?
Planning applications in Wakefield take an average of 13.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 13,178 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. Wakefield decides approximately 2,218 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Wakefield?
You can search planning applications in Wakefield directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 13,310 historical decisions in Wakefield to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Wakefield calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Wakefield'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.