West Lancashire Council approves 94.4% of planning applications, based on 6,536 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.0%. West Lancashire sits 6.4 percentage points above the national average.
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 West Lancashire.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 3,272 | 1 | 3,273 | 100.0% |
| Trees | 1,086 | 32 | 1,118 | 97.1% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 642 | 158 | 800 | 80.2% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 514 | 24 | 538 | 95.5% |
| Other | 279 | 48 | 327 | 85.3% |
| Prior Approval | 153 | 75 | 228 | 67.1% |
| Listed Building | 116 | 0 | 116 | 100.0% |
| Advertisement | 72 | 0 | 72 | 100.0% |
| Change of Use | 38 | 26 | 64 | 59.4% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural North East | 424 | 26 | 450 | 94.2% |
| Burscough Bridge & Rufford | 370 | 30 | 400 | 92.5% |
| Rural West | 314 | 30 | 344 | 91.3% |
| Aughton And Downholland | 325 | 11 | 336 | 96.7% |
| Aughton & Holborn | 322 | 8 | 330 | 97.6% |
| Up Holland | 309 | 17 | 326 | 94.8% |
| Rural South | 259 | 25 | 284 | 91.2% |
| Parbold | 259 | 8 | 267 | 97.0% |
| Wrightington | 229 | 9 | 238 | 96.2% |
| Tarleton Village | 216 | 15 | 231 | 93.5% |
| Scarisbrick | 208 | 13 | 221 | 94.1% |
| Ormskirk East | 202 | 18 | 220 | 91.8% |
| Tarleton | 202 | 11 | 213 | 94.8% |
| Derby | 192 | 5 | 197 | 97.5% |
| Aughton Park | 176 | 10 | 186 | 94.6% |
| Burscough West | 165 | 16 | 181 | 91.2% |
| Newburgh | 151 | 7 | 158 | 95.6% |
| Scott | 151 | 5 | 156 | 96.8% |
| Knowsley | 153 | 3 | 156 | 98.1% |
| Ormskirk West | 140 | 12 | 152 | 92.1% |
| Bickerstaffe | 132 | 14 | 146 | 90.4% |
| Rufford | 138 | 4 | 142 | 97.2% |
| North Meols & Hesketh Bank | 126 | 14 | 140 | 90.0% |
| Hesketh-with-Becconsall | 125 | 11 | 136 | 91.9% |
| Halsall | 120 | 8 | 128 | 93.8% |
Showing top 25 of 37 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How West Lancashire’s planning approval rate has changed year by year — down 7.2pp since 2021.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from West Lancashire council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| T/2026/0015/TCA Burscough Bridge & Rufford | Four conifer tress in front garden to be crown lifted and work needed to preserv | Approved |
| 2026/0036/FUL Rural North East | Single storey rear extension, front porch extension, new boundary treatment, add | Approved |
| 2026/0022/FUL Ormskirk East | Erect a conservatory to the rear of the property. | Approved |
| 2025/0562/FUL Aughton & Holborn | To replace existing non-compliant gates with new gates and replace boundary fenc | Approved |
| 2025/1071/FUL Ormskirk East | Construction of a first floor side extension with alterations to the roof line. | Approved |
| 2025/1049/FUL Rural West | Single storey extension at front side and rear. | Approved |
| 2025/1031/FUL Aughton & Holborn | Side elevation double storey extension | Approved |
| 2025/0998/PIP Rural West | Application for Permission in Principle for up to 3 no. dwellings at the land ad | Approved |
| 2026/0112/LDP Up Holland | Lawful Development Certificate (Proposed) - Use of property as C2 Residential Ca | Approved |
| 2026/0060/FUL Burscough Bridge & Rufford | New detached dwelling and extension to an existing dwelling. | 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 West Lancashire's 6,536 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare West Lancashire's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
More council comparisons coming soon.
Dig deeper into West Lancashire'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 West Lancashire. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 6,536 real decisions from West Lancashire 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 West Lancashire'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 6,536 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in West Lancashire is 94.4%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 6,536 planning decisions from West Lancashire council. 6,172 were approved and 364 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in West Lancashire is 94.4%, 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.