West Lancashire planning approval rate

West Lancashire council approved 94.4% of planning applications and refused 5.6%, based on 6,536 decisions analysed. Ranked 189th out of 237 councils for strictness.

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

94.4%

overall approval rate

6,536

Decisions analysed

6,172

Approved

364

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 (3,273 decided)

100.0%

Trees (1,118 decided)

97.1%

Discharge of Conditions (800 decided)

80.2%

Certificate of Lawfulness (538 decided)

95.5%

Other (327 decided)

85.3%

Prior Approval (228 decided)

67.1%

Listed Building (116 decided)

100.0%

Advertisement (72 decided)

100.0%

Change of Use (64 decided)

59.4%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in West Lancashire — mined from 6,536 proposal descriptions.

Garage / Parking (959 decided)

97.6%

Rear Extension (837 decided)

99.2%

Extension (General) (753 decided)

94.4%

Side Extension (484 decided)

100.0%

Dormer (295 decided)

99.7%

Change of Use (Residential) (290 decided)

92.8%

Outbuilding (279 decided)

97.1%

Conservatory (224 decided)

99.6%

New Build (210 decided)

97.1%

Loft Conversion (130 decided)

100.0%

Front Extension (82 decided)

100.0%

Wraparound Extension (59 decided)

100.0%

Annex (40 decided)

97.5%

HMO (23 decided)

100.0%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (19 decided)

100.0%

Basement (12 decided)

100.0%

Approval rate by ward

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

Rural North East Ward (450 decided)

94.2%

Burscough Bridge & Rufford Ward (400 decided)

92.5%

Rural West Ward (344 decided)

91.3%

Aughton And Downholland (336 decided)

96.7%

Aughton & Holborn Ward (330 decided)

97.6%

Rural South Ward (284 decided)

91.2%

Parbold (267 decided)

97.0%

Wrightington (238 decided)

96.2%

Tarleton Village Ward (231 decided)

93.5%

Scarisbrick (221 decided)

94.1%

Ormskirk East Ward (220 decided)

91.8%

Tarleton (213 decided)

94.8%

Up Holland Ward (198 decided)

93.9%

Derby (197 decided)

97.5%

Aughton Park (186 decided)

94.6%

Burscough West (181 decided)

91.2%

Newburgh (158 decided)

95.6%

Scott (156 decided)

96.8%

Knowsley (156 decided)

98.1%

Ormskirk West Ward (152 decided)

92.1%

Wards in West Lancashire

Rural North East Ward

94.2% approval · 450 decisions

Burscough Bridge & Rufford Ward

92.5% approval · 400 decisions

Rural West Ward

91.3% approval · 344 decisions

Aughton And Downholland

96.7% approval · 336 decisions

Aughton & Holborn Ward

97.6% approval · 330 decisions

Rural South Ward

91.2% approval · 284 decisions

Parbold

97.0% approval · 267 decisions

Wrightington

96.2% approval · 238 decisions

Tarleton Village Ward

93.5% approval · 231 decisions

Scarisbrick

94.1% approval · 221 decisions

Ormskirk East Ward

91.8% approval · 220 decisions

Tarleton

94.8% approval · 213 decisions

Up Holland Ward

93.9% approval · 198 decisions

Derby

97.5% approval · 197 decisions

Aughton Park

94.6% approval · 186 decisions

Burscough West

91.2% approval · 181 decisions

Newburgh

95.6% approval · 158 decisions

Scott

96.8% approval · 156 decisions

Knowsley

98.1% approval · 156 decisions

Ormskirk West Ward

92.1% approval · 152 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

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

T/2026/0015/TCA

Four conifer tress in front garden to be crown lifted and work needed to preserv · Burscough Bridge & Rufford Ward · Fri 27 Mar 2026

Approved

2026/0036/FUL

Single storey rear extension, front porch extension, new boundary treatment, add · Rural North East Ward · Fri 27 Mar 2026

Approved

2026/0022/FUL

Erect a conservatory to the rear of the property. · Ormskirk East Ward · Fri 27 Mar 2026

Approved

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →

What gets approved near your property?

In West Lancashire, 1 in 18 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 West Lancashire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Free planning check for West Lancashire →

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