In the last 12 months, 82.1% of full planning applications were approved in Lancaster (285 decided). A typical decision takes about ten weeks (median 72 days).
Across all application types on record (2023-01-20–2026-06-19): 87.0% of 3,611 decisions approved.
| Category | Total | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Planning Application | 1,363 | 1,159 | 204 | |
| Tree Works (TPO) | 514 | 511 | 3 | |
| Discharge of Conditions | 431 | 398 | 33 | |
| Certificate of Lawfulness (Proposed) | 293 | 245 | 48 | |
| Listed Building Consent | 221 | 193 | 28 | |
| Prior Approval (Other) | 183 | 117 | 66 | |
| Non-Material Amendment (S96a) | 138 | 117 | 21 | |
| Variation/Removal of Conditions (S73) | 133 | 111 | 22 | |
| Environmental Impact Assessment (Screening/Scoping) | 126 | 126 | 0 | |
| Certificate of Lawfulness (Existing) | 70 | 58 | 12 | |
| Advertisement Consent | 61 | 52 | 9 | |
| Change of Use | 22 | 18 | 4 | |
| Outline Planning | 14 | 4 | 10 | |
| Telecommunications | 10 | 5 | 5 | |
| Reserved Matters | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| Habitat Regulations Assessment | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| County Council Consultation | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| Agricult. Determ. - Full Details | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| Tree Works (Conservation Area) | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| Variation of Legal Agreement | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
| Permission in Principle | 4 | 1 | 3 | |
| Demolition | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Government Application | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Quarter | Decided | Approved | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-Q3 | 262 | 237 | |
| 2023-Q4 | 274 | 221 | |
| 2024-Q1 | 314 | 271 | |
| 2024-Q2 | 325 | 290 | |
| 2024-Q3 | 279 | 242 | |
| 2024-Q4 | 307 | 273 | |
| 2025-Q1 | 290 | 246 | |
| 2025-Q2 | 343 | 293 | |
| 2025-Q3 | 326 | 281 | |
| 2025-Q4 | 245 | 210 | |
| 2026-Q1 | 279 | 237 | |
| 2026-Q2 | 27 | 25 |
| Ward | Total | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Ward | 324 | 282 | 42 | |
| Ellel Ward | 303 | 237 | 66 | |
| Lower Lune Valley Ward | 300 | 269 | 31 | |
| Bolton And Slyne Ward | 271 | 241 | 30 | |
| Upper Lune Valley Ward | 263 | 233 | 30 | |
| Halton-with-Aughton And Kellet Ward | 255 | 217 | 38 | |
| Silverdale Ward | 176 | 160 | 16 | |
| Scotforth West Ward | 162 | 143 | 19 | |
| Marsh Ward | 135 | 118 | 17 | |
| Warton Ward | 134 | 115 | 19 | |
| Overton Ward | 114 | 98 | 16 | |
| Poulton Ward | 113 | 99 | 14 |
Not sure what you can build without planning permission? See our guides to permitted development rights and Article 4 directions.