West Lancashire planning approval rate

West Lancashire council approved 95.1% of planning applications and refused 4.9%, based on 3,928 decisions analysed. Ranked 198th out of 235 councils for strictness.

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

95.1%

overall approval rate

3,928

Decisions analysed

3,735

Approved

193

Refused

Wards covered

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

Full (2,021 decided)

100.0%

Trees (686 decided)

97.8%

Discharge of Conditions (458 decided)

81.4%

Certificate of Lawfulness (298 decided)

95.3%

Other (190 decided)

83.2%

Prior Approval (126 decided)

69.0%

Listed Building (72 decided)

100.0%

Advertisement (41 decided)

100.0%

Change of Use (36 decided)

77.8%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in West Lancashire — mined from 3,928 proposal descriptions.

Garage / Parking (588 decided)

97.8%

Rear Extension (551 decided)

99.1%

Extension (General) (489 decided)

94.3%

Side Extension (298 decided)

100.0%

Dormer (173 decided)

99.4%

Outbuilding (173 decided)

97.1%

Change of Use (Residential) (157 decided)

94.3%

Conservatory (156 decided)

99.4%

New Build (129 decided)

95.3%

Loft Conversion (74 decided)

100.0%

Front Extension (47 decided)

100.0%

Wraparound Extension (36 decided)

100.0%

HMO (16 decided)

100.0%

Annex (15 decided)

93.3%

Basement (10 decided)

100.0%

Approval rate by ward

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

Aughton And Downholland (332 decided)

97.0%

Parbold (263 decided)

97.0%

Wrightington (237 decided)

96.2%

Scarisbrick (216 decided)

94.0%

Tarleton (211 decided)

94.8%

Derby (196 decided)

97.4%

Aughton Park (183 decided)

94.5%

Burscough West (177 decided)

91.5%

Scott (155 decided)

96.8%

Newburgh (155 decided)

95.5%

Knowsley (154 decided)

98.1%

Rufford (141 decided)

97.2%

Bickerstaffe (140 decided)

90.0%

Hesketh-with-Becconsall (135 decided)

91.9%

Halsall (127 decided)

93.7%

Up Holland (124 decided)

96.0%

Rural North East Ward (92 decided)

89.1%

Burscough East (86 decided)

96.5%

North Meols (84 decided)

91.7%

Ashurst (75 decided)

96.0%

Wards in West Lancashire

Aughton And Downholland

97.0% approval · 332 decisions

Parbold

97.0% approval · 263 decisions

Wrightington

96.2% approval · 237 decisions

Scarisbrick

94.0% approval · 216 decisions

Tarleton

94.8% approval · 211 decisions

Derby

97.4% approval · 196 decisions

Aughton Park

94.5% approval · 183 decisions

Burscough West

91.5% approval · 177 decisions

Scott

96.8% approval · 155 decisions

Newburgh

95.5% approval · 155 decisions

Knowsley

98.1% approval · 154 decisions

Rufford

97.2% approval · 141 decisions

Bickerstaffe

90.0% approval · 140 decisions

Hesketh-with-Becconsall

91.9% approval · 135 decisions

Halsall

93.7% approval · 127 decisions

Up Holland

96.0% approval · 124 decisions

Rural North East Ward

89.1% approval · 92 decisions

Burscough East

96.5% approval · 86 decisions

North Meols

91.7% approval · 84 decisions

Ashurst

96.0% approval · 75 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

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

2023/0988/FUL

Double storey rear extension and front porch. · Ormskirk West Ward · Fri 22 Dec 2023

Approved

T/2023/0109/TPO

T1 - Beech - Full crown reduction, .5m off extended branches, finished overall c · Rural North East Ward · Tue 17 Oct 2023

Refused

2023/0941/FUL

Demolition of existing precast reinforced concrete dwelling and erection of repl · Aughton & Holborn Ward · Fri 22 Dec 2023

Approved

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

What gets approved near your property?

In West Lancashire, 1 in 20 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 West Lancashire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Get West Lancashire Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 3,928 decisions.

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