Wirral planning approval rate
Wirral council approved 87.6% of planning applications and refused 12.4%, based on 8,012 decisions analysed. Ranked 81st out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
87.6%
overall approval rate
8,012
Decisions analysed
7,019
Approved
993
Refused
22
Wards covered
Planning in Wirral? 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 Wirral. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
87.6%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Wirral, mined from 8,012 proposal descriptions.
91.4%
92.7%
87.3%
88.6%
81.7%
95.1%
76.3%
90.9%
86.7%
90.4%
80.8%
75.7%
74.0%
85.9%
53.2%
84.4%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Wirral. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Heswall
88.8%
West Kirby and Thurstaston
88.3%
Hoylake and Meols
86.2%
Bromborough
93.7%
Greasby, Frankby and Irby
85.0%
Clatterbridge
87.6%
Birkenhead & Tranmere
85.9%
Pensby and Thingwall
90.6%
Bebington
88.5%
Eastham
87.6%
Oxton
88.6%
Claughton
86.0%
Moreton West and Saughall Massie
89.8%
Prenton
85.5%
Bidston and St James
85.2%
Wallasey
82.4%
Leasowe and Moreton East
89.3%
New Brighton
85.7%
Upton
84.6%
Liscard
84.3%
Wards in Wirral
Heswall
88.8% approval · 952 decisions
West Kirby and Thurstaston
88.3% approval · 726 decisions
Hoylake and Meols
86.2% approval · 543 decisions
Bromborough
93.7% approval · 493 decisions
Greasby, Frankby and Irby
85.0% approval · 492 decisions
Clatterbridge
87.6% approval · 485 decisions
Birkenhead & Tranmere
85.9% approval · 384 decisions
Pensby and Thingwall
90.6% approval · 352 decisions
Bebington
88.5% approval · 347 decisions
Eastham
87.6% approval · 322 decisions
Oxton
88.6% approval · 316 decisions
Claughton
86.0% approval · 292 decisions
Moreton West and Saughall Massie
89.8% approval · 256 decisions
Prenton
85.5% approval · 255 decisions
Bidston and St James
85.2% approval · 244 decisions
Wallasey
82.4% approval · 244 decisions
Leasowe and Moreton East
89.3% approval · 225 decisions
New Brighton
85.7% approval · 217 decisions
Upton
84.6% approval · 208 decisions
Liscard
84.3% approval · 204 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Wirral, showing how the council decides real applications.
Proposed single storey rear extension with lean-to roof. · Wallasey · 2026-08-10
Boiler replacement including new flue to run from the plant room, out of the ven · Oxton · 2026-08-10
Demolition of existing front porch and erection of replacement front porch exten · Greasby, Frankby and Irby · 2026-08-10
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Wirral, 1 in 8 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 Wirral
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Wirral →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Wirral
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 8,012 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Wirral
What is the planning approval rate in Wirral?
Based on 8,012 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Wirral approved 87.6% of applications and refused 12.4%. The council is ranked 81st out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Wirral?
Wirral refuses 12.4% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is close to the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 8,012 decided applications since 2020, 993 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Wirral have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Wirral are in Bromborough (93.7%), Pensby and Thingwall (90.6%), and Moreton West and Saughall Massie (89.8%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Wirral?
The most common planning application types in Wirral are: Other (8,012 decisions, 87.6% approved).
How long does a planning application take in Wirral?
Most planning applications in Wirral are decided within 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments, the statutory targets set by central government. With 8,012 decisions analysed since 2020, Wirral processes approximately 1,335 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Wirral?
You can search planning applications in Wirral directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 8,012 historical decisions in Wirral to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Wirral calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Wirral's 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.