Westmorland and Furness planning approval rate
Westmorland and Furness council approved 92.7% of planning applications and refused 7.3%, based on 52,290 decisions analysed. Ranked 184th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to July 2026
92.7%
overall approval rate
52,290
Decisions analysed
48,473
Approved
3,817
Refused
54
Wards covered
Planning in Westmorland and Furness? 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 Westmorland and Furness. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
93.0%
99.0%
94.4%
86.4%
93.6%
88.4%
89.5%
76.9%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Westmorland and Furness, mined from 52,290 proposal descriptions.
95.5%
92.9%
95.5%
93.8%
84.9%
96.5%
96.9%
93.6%
89.7%
94.2%
91.4%
96.7%
90.5%
93.5%
82.4%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Westmorland and Furness. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Penrith North
96.4%
Hesket
94.8%
Kirkby Stephen
94.8%
Penrith West
97.4%
Alston Moor
95.0%
Langwathby
96.9%
Lazonby
94.0%
Long Marton
93.7%
Skelton
94.2%
Grange and Cartmel
88.3%
Kirkby Thore
93.0%
Hartside
94.0%
Warcop
93.6%
Penrith South
97.7%
Eamont
92.5%
Dacre
94.8%
Crosby Ravensworth
96.2%
Penrith East
95.0%
Morland
91.4%
Brough
92.0%
Wards in Westmorland and Furness
Penrith North
96.4% approval · 884 decisions
Hesket
94.8% approval · 562 decisions
Kirkby Stephen
94.8% approval · 458 decisions
Penrith West
97.4% approval · 456 decisions
Alston Moor
95.0% approval · 440 decisions
Langwathby
96.9% approval · 419 decisions
Lazonby
94.0% approval · 383 decisions
Long Marton
93.7% approval · 382 decisions
Skelton
94.2% approval · 380 decisions
Grange and Cartmel
88.3% approval · 369 decisions
Kirkby Thore
93.0% approval · 369 decisions
Hartside
94.0% approval · 368 decisions
Warcop
93.6% approval · 357 decisions
Penrith South
97.7% approval · 351 decisions
Eamont
92.5% approval · 332 decisions
Dacre
94.8% approval · 328 decisions
Crosby Ravensworth
96.2% approval · 318 decisions
Penrith East
95.0% approval · 301 decisions
Morland
91.4% approval · 291 decisions
Brough
92.0% approval · 288 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Westmorland and Furness, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of two agricultural buildings. · Hesket and Lazonby · 2026-07-07
Listed Building Consent for internal alterations including replacing two east el · Upper Kent · 2026-07-07
Extension to the existing school. · Eden and Lyvennet Vale · 2026-07-06
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Westmorland and Furness, 1 in 14 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 Westmorland and Furness
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Westmorland and Furness →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Westmorland and Furness
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 52,290 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Westmorland and Furness
What is the planning approval rate in Westmorland and Furness?
Based on 52,290 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Westmorland and Furness approved 92.7% of applications and refused 7.3%. The council is ranked 184th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Westmorland and Furness?
Westmorland and Furness refuses 7.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 14. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 52,290 decided applications since 2020, 3,817 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Westmorland and Furness have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Westmorland and Furness are in Penrith Carleton (99.4%), Penrith South (97.7%), and Penrith West (97.4%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Westmorland and Furness?
The most common planning application types in Westmorland and Furness are: Full (35,200 decisions, 93.0% approved), Trees (4,381, 99.0%), and Listed Building (3,963, 94.4%).
How long does a planning application take in Westmorland and Furness?
Planning applications in Westmorland and Furness take an average of 9.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 52,053 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Westmorland and Furness decides approximately 8,715 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Westmorland and Furness?
You can search planning applications in Westmorland and Furness directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 52,290 historical decisions in Westmorland and Furness to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Westmorland and Furness calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Westmorland and Furness' 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.