Warrington planning approval rate
Warrington council approved 87.0% of planning applications and refused 13.0%, based on 11,184 decisions analysed. Ranked 72nd out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
87.0%
overall approval rate
11,184
Decisions analysed
9,731
Approved
1,453
Refused
23
Wards covered
Planning in Warrington? 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 Warrington. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
87.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Warrington, mined from 11,184 proposal descriptions.
90.0%
86.7%
84.2%
89.1%
83.2%
89.4%
90.3%
85.2%
86.9%
82.3%
81.1%
83.2%
81.7%
83.6%
90.3%
89.5%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Warrington. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Appleton
86.6%
Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft
83.5%
Bewsey and Whitecross
86.3%
Lymm South
85.9%
Grappenhall
89.5%
Stockton Heath
88.6%
Rixton and Woolston
84.7%
Penketh and Cuerdley
87.4%
Burtonwood and Winwick
84.9%
Lymm North and Thelwall
80.3%
Lymm North & Thelwall
90.0%
Great Sankey North and Whittle Hall
91.7%
Orford
87.3%
Chapelford and Old Hall
88.6%
Poulton North
89.9%
Birchwood
91.4%
Great Sankey South
87.9%
Poulton South
86.9%
Latchford West
89.4%
Fairfield and Howley
82.4%
Wards in Warrington
Appleton
86.6% approval · 1,166 decisions
Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft
83.5% approval · 1,007 decisions
Bewsey and Whitecross
86.3% approval · 871 decisions
Lymm South
85.9% approval · 859 decisions
Grappenhall
89.5% approval · 724 decisions
Stockton Heath
88.6% approval · 717 decisions
Rixton and Woolston
84.7% approval · 542 decisions
Penketh and Cuerdley
87.4% approval · 494 decisions
Burtonwood and Winwick
84.9% approval · 483 decisions
Lymm North and Thelwall
80.3% approval · 476 decisions
Lymm North & Thelwall
90.0% approval · 449 decisions
Great Sankey North and Whittle Hall
91.7% approval · 410 decisions
Orford
87.3% approval · 300 decisions
Chapelford and Old Hall
88.6% approval · 298 decisions
Poulton North
89.9% approval · 298 decisions
Birchwood
91.4% approval · 290 decisions
Great Sankey South
87.9% approval · 282 decisions
Poulton South
86.9% approval · 275 decisions
Latchford West
89.4% approval · 264 decisions
Fairfield and Howley
82.4% approval · 238 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Warrington, showing how the council decides real applications.
Replacement of 3 existing windows and 1 door · Grappenhall · 2026-08-10
Proposed single storey extension, landscaping including hardstanding, additional · Burtonwood and Winwick · 2026-08-10
single storey rear extension replacing existing garden room. · Stockton Heath · 2026-08-10
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Warrington, 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 Warrington
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Warrington →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Warrington
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 11,184 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Warrington
What is the planning approval rate in Warrington?
Based on 11,184 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Warrington approved 87.0% of applications and refused 13.0%. The council is ranked 72nd out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Warrington?
Warrington refuses 13.0% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 11,184 decided applications since 2020, 1,453 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Warrington have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Warrington are in Westbrook (91.9%), Great Sankey North and Whittle Hall (91.7%), and Birchwood (91.4%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Warrington?
The most common planning application types in Warrington are: Other (11,184 decisions, 87.0% approved).
How long does a planning application take in Warrington?
Most planning applications in Warrington are decided within 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments, the statutory targets set by central government. With 11,184 decisions analysed since 2020, Warrington processes approximately 1,864 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Warrington?
You can search planning applications in Warrington directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 11,184 historical decisions in Warrington to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Warrington calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Warrington'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.