West Lancashire Council approves 94.6% of planning applications, based on 6,990 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. West Lancashire sits 6.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,148 decided applications, West Lancashire Council approved 93.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 6,990 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in West Lancashire is 94.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of West Lancashire council planning portal records · Updated August 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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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 | 3,488 | 1 | 3,489 | 100.0% |
| Trees | 1,177 | 33 | 1,210 | 97.3% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 675 | 161 | 836 | 80.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 561 | 26 | 587 | 95.6% |
| Other | 297 | 52 | 349 | 85.1% |
| Prior Approval | 169 | 80 | 249 | 67.9% |
| Listed Building | 127 | 0 | 127 | 100.0% |
| Advertisement | 78 | 0 | 78 | 100.0% |
| Change of Use | 39 | 26 | 65 | 60.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural North East | 504 | 27 | 531 | 94.9% |
| Burscough Bridge & Rufford | 415 | 32 | 447 | 92.8% |
| Rural West | 357 | 32 | 389 | 91.8% |
| Aughton & Holborn | 364 | 9 | 373 | 97.6% |
| Up Holland | 341 | 17 | 358 | 95.3% |
| Aughton And Downholland | 325 | 11 | 336 | 96.7% |
| Rural South | 305 | 29 | 334 | 91.3% |
| Tarleton Village | 254 | 16 | 270 | 94.1% |
| Parbold | 259 | 8 | 267 | 97.0% |
| Ormskirk East | 237 | 19 | 256 | 92.6% |
| Wrightington | 229 | 9 | 238 | 96.2% |
| Scarisbrick | 208 | 13 | 221 | 94.1% |
| 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% |
| Ormskirk West | 159 | 12 | 171 | 93.0% |
| North Meols & Hesketh Bank | 146 | 15 | 161 | 90.7% |
| Newburgh | 151 | 7 | 158 | 95.6% |
| Scott | 151 | 5 | 156 | 96.8% |
| Knowsley | 153 | 3 | 156 | 98.1% |
| Bickerstaffe | 132 | 14 | 146 | 90.4% |
| Rufford | 138 | 4 | 142 | 97.2% |
| Hesketh-with-Becconsall | 125 | 11 | 136 | 91.9% |
| Burscough Town | 125 | 4 | 129 | 96.9% |
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 2.1pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026/0548/FUL Tarleton Village | Rear dormer and single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 2026/0498/FUL Up Holland | Proposed rear extension to existing mid-terrace dwelling | Approved |
| 2026/0489/LDP Aughton & Holborn | New rear dormer, within m3 allowance for permitted development and to be of the | Approved |
| 2026/0457/FUL Up Holland | Proposed replacement access and reconfiguration of existing car park | Approved |
| 2026/0432/FUL Tarleton Village | Create a parking bay to the side of 9 Hesketh Lane with dropped kerb. | Approved |
| 2026/0603/PIP Up Holland | Application for Permission in Principle: The demolition of existing outbuildings | Approved |
| 2026/0518/FUL Rural South | Single storey rear extension following the removal of existing outrigger; altera | Approved |
| 2026/0513/FUL Rural West | Proposed double storey front and rear extension, and single storey rear extensio | Approved |
| 2026/0471/FUL Rural North East | Single storey rear extension and associated alterations to the existing dwelling | Approved |
| 2026/0024/FUL Ormskirk East | Remodelling and extension of the existing bungalow to form a 1.5 storey detached | 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 6,990 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 6,990 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 6,990 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in West Lancashire is 94.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 6,990 planning decisions from West Lancashire council. 6,611 were approved and 379 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in West Lancashire is 94.6%, 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 West Lancashire? 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.