Wigan Council approves 88.6% of planning applications, based on 5,457 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Wigan is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 638 decided applications, Wigan Council approved 85.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 5,457 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Wigan is 88.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Wigan council planning portal records · Updated June 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 Wigan.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 2,958 | 316 | 3,274 | 90.3% |
| Other | 906 | 136 | 1,042 | 86.9% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 367 | 83 | 450 | 81.6% |
| Change of Use | 177 | 29 | 206 | 85.9% |
| Advertisement | 147 | 28 | 175 | 84.0% |
| Trees | 124 | 4 | 128 | 96.9% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 77 | 14 | 91 | 84.6% |
| Listed Building | 71 | 7 | 78 | 91.0% |
| Prior Approval | 10 | 3 | 13 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wigan Central | 317 | 49 | 366 | 86.6% |
| Standish With Langtree | 297 | 33 | 330 | 90.0% |
| Lowton East | 272 | 27 | 299 | 91.0% |
| Leigh South | 253 | 28 | 281 | 90.0% |
| Orrell | 220 | 26 | 246 | 89.4% |
| Winstanley | 185 | 24 | 209 | 88.5% |
| Golborne And Lowton West | 175 | 14 | 189 | 92.6% |
| Tyldesley | 168 | 18 | 186 | 90.3% |
| Leigh West | 157 | 18 | 175 | 89.7% |
| Shevington With Lower Ground | 148 | 7 | 155 | 95.5% |
| Hindley | 140 | 14 | 154 | 90.9% |
| Wigan West | 119 | 28 | 147 | 81.0% |
| Leigh East | 118 | 15 | 133 | 88.7% |
| Worsley Mesnes | 111 | 16 | 127 | 87.4% |
| Bryn | 113 | 11 | 124 | 91.1% |
| Aspull New Springs Whelley | 75 | 23 | 98 | 76.5% |
| Astley | 83 | 11 | 94 | 88.3% |
| Ashton In Makerfield South | 85 | 6 | 91 | 93.4% |
| Shevington With Lower Ground And Moor | 67 | 16 | 83 | 80.7% |
| Leigh Central And Higher Folds | 71 | 12 | 83 | 85.5% |
| Douglas | 65 | 16 | 81 | 80.2% |
| Atherton South And Lilford | 59 | 15 | 74 | 79.7% |
| Tyldesley And Mosley Common | 59 | 15 | 74 | 79.7% |
| Atherton North | 52 | 7 | 59 | 88.1% |
| Pemberton | 43 | 12 | 55 | 78.2% |
Showing top 25 of 29 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Wigan’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 6.9pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Wigan council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| A/26/100793/HH Orrell | New roof and increase in eaves height to existing single storey side and rear ad | Approved |
| A/26/100703/HH Wigan West | Single storey rear extension with alterations to outbuilding | Approved |
| A/26/100745/HH Standish With Langtree | First floor front and side extension, single storey rear extension | Approved |
| A/26/100699/HH Shevington With Lower Ground And Moor | Two storey extension to side with canopy to front together with render on side e | Approved |
| A/26/100643/WTTPO Ashton In Makerfield South | T1 sycamore crown lift to 5m on garden side. Remove two lowest limbs extending o | Approved |
| A/26/100647/WTTPO Shevington With Lower Ground And Moor | T1 pine remove lowest limb over roof. Crown reduce next two lowest branches as p | Approved |
| A/26/100451/HH Worsley Mesnes | Single storey side and rear extensions and alterations to fenestration | Approved |
| A/25/099969/LB Astley | Listed building consent for the erection of new dwellinghouse with associated la | Approved |
| A/25/099601/FULL Astley | Erection of new dwellinghouse with associated landscaping and new garden wall an | Approved |
| A/26/100739/HH Ashton In Makerfield South | Single storey side extension | 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 Wigan's 5,457 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Wigan's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Wigan'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 Wigan. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 5,457 real decisions from Wigan 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 Wigan'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 5,457 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Wigan is 88.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 5,457 planning decisions from Wigan council. 4,837 were approved and 620 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Wigan is 88.6%, 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 Wigan? 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.