Wakefield Council approves 92.0% of planning applications, based on 10,038 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Wakefield sits 7.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,506 decided applications, Wakefield Council approved 89.1% of planning applications in 2025. Across 10,038 decisions on record (January 2018 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Wakefield is 92.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Wakefield council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Wakefield.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 7,883 | 689 | 8,572 | 92.0% |
| Other | 1,698 | 136 | 1,834 | 92.6% |
| Trees | 765 | 435 | 1,200 | 63.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 897 | 55 | 952 | 94.2% |
| Advertisement | 425 | 60 | 485 | 87.6% |
| Listed Building | 327 | 19 | 346 | 94.5% |
| Change of Use | 132 | 3 | 135 | 97.8% |
| Prior Approval | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100.0% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefield Rural | 1,068 | 152 | 1,220 | 87.5% |
| Wakefield North | 905 | 101 | 1,006 | 90.0% |
| Wakefield South | 827 | 109 | 936 | 88.4% |
| Ackworth, North Elmsall And Upton | 766 | 119 | 885 | 86.6% |
| Crofton, Ryhill And Walton | 651 | 99 | 750 | 86.8% |
| Pontefract North | 661 | 75 | 736 | 89.8% |
| Wrenthorpe And Outwood West | 666 | 67 | 733 | 90.9% |
| Horbury And South Ossett | 634 | 81 | 715 | 88.7% |
| Ossett | 645 | 66 | 711 | 90.7% |
| Stanley And Outwood East | 584 | 50 | 634 | 92.1% |
| Pontefract South | 533 | 71 | 604 | 88.2% |
| Castleford Central And Glasshoughton | 565 | 37 | 602 | 93.9% |
| Wakefield East | 504 | 61 | 565 | 89.2% |
| Altofts And Whitwood | 484 | 43 | 527 | 91.8% |
| Normanton | 451 | 46 | 497 | 90.7% |
| Wakefield West | 439 | 55 | 494 | 88.9% |
| South Elmsall And South Kirkby | 413 | 41 | 454 | 91.0% |
| Featherstone | 387 | 42 | 429 | 90.2% |
| Hemsworth | 377 | 37 | 414 | 91.1% |
| Knottingley | 295 | 28 | 323 | 91.3% |
| Airedale And Ferry Fryston | 262 | 16 | 278 | 94.2% |
How Wakefield’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 0.1pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Wakefield council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01562/GPD Wakefield North | Single storey rear extension with a maximum projection of 6.0m, a maximum height | Approved |
| 26/01443/FUL Wakefield Rural | Replacement of existing garage door with single and double glazed doors. Brickin | Approved |
| 26/01306/CPL Stanley And Outwood East | Single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/01221/FUL Crofton, Ryhill And Walton | Proposed attached single garage with porch, outbuilding to rear, pergola to rear | Approved |
| 26/01212/CPL Stanley And Outwood East | Proposed single storey extension | Approved |
| 26/01168/FUL Wrenthorpe And Outwood West | Removal of existing extensions and attached outbuildings to bungalow. Addition o | Approved |
| 26/01150/FUL Altofts And Whitwood | installation of air source heat pump to rear (south) elevation of dwelling | Approved |
| 26/00825/FUL Wakefield Rural | Extension and alterations to form 3 storey dwelling, with attached swimming pool | Approved |
| 26/01336/FUL Altofts And Whitwood | Single storey extension to rear. | Approved |
| 26/01124/FUL Pontefract South | Erection of a two-storey side extension (with car port), single storey rear exte | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Wakefield's 10,038 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Wakefield's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Wakefield's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Wakefield. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 10,038 real decisions from Wakefield council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Wakefield's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 10,038 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Wakefield is 92.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 10,038 planning decisions from Wakefield council. 9,230 were approved and 808 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2018 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Wakefield is 92.0%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Wakefield? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.