York Council approves 89.1% of planning applications, based on 6,750 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. York sits 4.1 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 6,750 decided applications on record (January 2020 to October 2026), York Council approved 89.1% of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of York council planning portal records · Data to 2 October 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in York.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 5,833 | 670 | 6,503 | 89.7% |
| Other | 2,229 | 241 | 2,470 | 90.2% |
| Trees | 1,552 | 98 | 1,650 | 94.1% |
| Listed Building | 648 | 71 | 719 | 90.1% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 410 | 57 | 467 | 87.8% |
| Advertisement | 269 | 58 | 327 | 82.3% |
| Prior Approval | 45 | 9 | 54 | 83.3% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guildhall | 1,670 | 198 | 1,868 | 89.4% |
| Micklegate | 1,036 | 106 | 1,142 | 90.7% |
| Rural West York | 846 | 102 | 948 | 89.2% |
| Rawcliffe And Clifton Without | 570 | 63 | 633 | 90.0% |
| Huntington/New Earswick | 584 | 46 | 630 | 92.7% |
| Osbaldwick And Derwent | 536 | 85 | 621 | 86.3% |
| Haxby And Wigginton | 534 | 64 | 598 | 89.3% |
| Dringhouses And Woodthorpe | 529 | 50 | 579 | 91.4% |
| Heworth | 454 | 56 | 510 | 89.0% |
| Strensall | 427 | 70 | 497 | 85.9% |
| Holgate | 454 | 32 | 486 | 93.4% |
| Fishergate | 428 | 42 | 470 | 91.1% |
| Clifton | 428 | 40 | 468 | 91.5% |
| Wheldrake | 379 | 52 | 431 | 87.9% |
| Hull Road | 367 | 56 | 423 | 86.8% |
| Fulford And Heslington | 364 | 40 | 404 | 90.1% |
| Bishopthorpe | 326 | 27 | 353 | 92.4% |
| Westfield | 310 | 23 | 333 | 93.1% |
| Acomb | 273 | 18 | 291 | 93.8% |
| Copmanthorpe | 224 | 24 | 248 | 90.3% |
| Heworth Without | 228 | 7 | 235 | 97.0% |
How York’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 2.4pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from York council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01463/FUL Micklegate | Single storey rear and side extension | Approved |
| 26/01400/FUL Dringhouses And Woodthorpe | Erection of detached outbuilding for use as dog grooming business (sui generis) | Refused |
| 26/00959/FUL Acomb | Single storey front extension | Approved |
| 26/00039/FUL Guildhall | Conversion of vacant upper floors to 8no. room aparthotel (use class C1) to incl | Approved |
| 26/00040/LBC Guildhall | Internal and external works in relation to the conversion of vacant upper floors | Approved |
| 25/02529/FUL Guildhall | Conversion of vacant upper floors to 8no. residential apartments (use class C3) | Approved |
| 25/02530/LBC Guildhall | Internal and external alterations in relation to conversion of vacant upper floo | Approved |
| 25/02286/FUL Guildhall | Installation of external air conditioning housing and 2no. roof-mounted axial fa | Approved |
| 26/01554/TPO Fulford And Heslington | Prune back crowns of overhaning trees to boundary line - trees protected by Tree | Approved |
| 26/01414/FUL Strensall | Single storey side extension and 1.8 metre fence to boundary | 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 York's 6,750 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare York's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into York'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 York. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 6,750 real decisions from York 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 York'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 6,750 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in York is 89.1%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 6,750 planning decisions from York council. 6,015 were approved and 735 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to October 2026.
The average approval rate in York is 89.1%, 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 York? 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.