Westmorland and Furness Council approves 92.7% of planning applications, based on 52,290 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%. Westmorland and Furness sits 4.2 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,609 decided applications, Westmorland and Furness Council approved 92.2% of planning applications in 2025. Across 52,290 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Westmorland and Furness is 92.7%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Westmorland and Furness council planning portal records · Updated July 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 Westmorland and Furness.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 32,722 | 2,478 | 35,200 | 93.0% |
| Trees | 4,338 | 43 | 4,381 | 99.0% |
| Listed Building | 3,742 | 221 | 3,963 | 94.4% |
| Other | 3,324 | 522 | 3,846 | 86.4% |
| Prior Approval | 1,867 | 127 | 1,994 | 93.6% |
| Advertisement | 934 | 122 | 1,056 | 88.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 680 | 171 | 851 | 79.9% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 693 | 81 | 774 | 89.5% |
| Change of Use | 173 | 52 | 225 | 76.9% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penrith North | 852 | 32 | 884 | 96.4% |
| Hesket | 533 | 29 | 562 | 94.8% |
| Kirkby Stephen | 434 | 24 | 458 | 94.8% |
| Penrith West | 444 | 12 | 456 | 97.4% |
| Alston Moor | 418 | 22 | 440 | 95.0% |
| Langwathby | 406 | 13 | 419 | 96.9% |
| Lazonby | 360 | 23 | 383 | 94.0% |
| Long Marton | 358 | 24 | 382 | 93.7% |
| Skelton | 358 | 22 | 380 | 94.2% |
| Grange and Cartmel | 326 | 43 | 369 | 88.3% |
| Kirkby Thore | 343 | 26 | 369 | 93.0% |
| Hartside | 346 | 22 | 368 | 94.0% |
| Warcop | 334 | 23 | 357 | 93.6% |
| Penrith South | 343 | 8 | 351 | 97.7% |
| Eamont | 307 | 25 | 332 | 92.5% |
| Dacre | 311 | 17 | 328 | 94.8% |
| Crosby Ravensworth | 306 | 12 | 318 | 96.2% |
| Penrith East | 286 | 15 | 301 | 95.0% |
| Morland | 266 | 25 | 291 | 91.4% |
| Brough | 265 | 23 | 288 | 92.0% |
| Kirkoswald | 256 | 14 | 270 | 94.8% |
| Appleby | 247 | 14 | 261 | 94.6% |
| Hesket and Lazonby | 248 | 9 | 257 | 96.5% |
| Ulverston | 215 | 19 | 234 | 91.9% |
| Eden and Lyvennet Vale | 208 | 20 | 228 | 91.2% |
Showing top 25 of 54 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Westmorland and Furness’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 2.1pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Westmorland and Furness council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/2171/FPA Hesket and Lazonby | Erection of two agricultural buildings. | Approved |
| 2025/2476/LBC Upper Kent | Listed Building Consent for internal alterations including replacing two east el | Approved |
| 2026/0601/FPA Eden and Lyvennet Vale | Extension to the existing school. | Approved |
| 2026/0787/HOU Ulverston | Accessible alterations including the provision of a gym/physio room and ramped a | Approved |
| 2026/0970/HOU Hesket and Lazonby | Extension and alterations to bungalow including refurbishment works. | Approved |
| 2026/1086/TPO Kent Estuary | South Lakeland DC TPO No 103 1995 103 - Large lime tree on the front lawn – prop | Approved |
| 2026/0467/FPA Appleby and Brough | Demolition of single storey extension and erection of replacement single storey | Approved |
| 2026/0650/HOU Alston and Fellside | Installation of an electric vehicle chargepoint on the East elevation wall of th | Approved |
| 2026/0786/FPA Kent Estuary | Replace windows and doors, reinstate windows and replace louvre vents (Part retr | Approved |
| 2026/0628/PIP Ulverston | Permission in principle application for up to four dwellings | 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 Westmorland and Furness's 52,290 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Westmorland and Furness's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
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Dig deeper into Westmorland and Furness'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 Westmorland and Furness. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 52,290 real decisions from Westmorland and Furness 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 Westmorland and Furness'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 52,290 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Westmorland and Furness is 92.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 52,290 planning decisions from Westmorland and Furness council. 48,473 were approved and 3,817 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Westmorland and Furness is 92.7%, 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 Westmorland and Furness? 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.