Which ward in York has the highest planning approval rate?

Heworth Without at 97.2% based on 215 decisions.

Which ward in York has the lowest planning approval rate?

Osbaldwick And Derwent at 86.3% based on 583 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across York?

There is a 10.9% gap between Heworth Without and Osbaldwick And Derwent. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in York

Planning outcomes in York are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 10.9% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

11,446 real decisions·21 wards·Updated June 2026

90.2% approved overall. But 1,124 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in York shifts your odds by up to 10.9%. The council average doesn't tell you which side of that gap you're on.

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All 21 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Heworth Without	215	209	6	97.2%
2	Acomb	278	262	16	94.2%
3	Holgate	458	428	30	93.4%
4	Huntington/New Earswick	583	543	40	93.1%
5	Westfield	314	291	23	92.7%
6	Bishopthorpe	335	308	27	91.9%
7	Dringhouses And Woodthorpe	553	507	46	91.7%
8	Clifton	444	405	39	91.2%
9	Copmanthorpe	236	215	21	91.1%
10	Fishergate	433	393	40	90.8%
11	Micklegate	1,062	962	100	90.6%
12	Rawcliffe And Clifton Without	606	545	61	89.9%
13	Fulford And Heslington	372	334	38	89.8%
14	Haxby And Wigginton	565	506	59	89.6%
15	Guildhall	1,756	1,573	183	89.6%
16	Heworth	481	429	52	89.2%
17	Rural West York	892	794	98	89.0%
18	Wheldrake	397	348	49	87.7%
19	Hull Road	394	343	51	87.1%
20	Strensall	468	406	62	86.8%
21	Osbaldwick And Derwent	583	503	80	86.3%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in Heworth Without but face serious resistance in Osbaldwick And Derwent.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

A 10.9% gap separates the best and worst wards. Heworth Without approves 97.2% of applications while Osbaldwick And Derwent approves just 86.3%. That's a fundamentally different planning environment.

High volume doesn't mean high approval. Some of the busiest wards aren't the most permissive. The number of applications a ward processes tells you nothing about how likely yours is to succeed.

Ward averages are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your specific outcome depends on your property, your neighbours, your proposal type and the comparable decisions near your address.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

1,124 planning applications in York have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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Free · Property report emailed in minutes · Based on 3,290,000+ real decisions

More York planning data

Nearby councils ward breakdowns

Methodology: Covers 11,446 planning decisions in York, January 2020 to present. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from York Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →