Limited recent decision data is available for Preston, so we don't show a headline approval rate here — the figures below cover all application types on record.
Across all application types on record (2023-06-14–2026-05-07): 93.2% of 17,784 decisions approved.
| Category | Total | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Householder | 4,550 | 4,239 | 311 | |
| Full Planning Application | 4,035 | 3,778 | 257 | |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,518 | 1,517 | 1 | |
| Change of Use | 1,057 | 991 | 66 | |
| Advertisement Consent | 835 | 778 | 57 | |
| Tree Works (TPO) | 686 | 649 | 37 | |
| Listed Building Consent | 586 | 565 | 21 | |
| Certificate of Lawfulness (Proposed) | 556 | 555 | 1 | |
| Variation/Removal of Conditions (S73) | 553 | 527 | 26 | |
| Non-Material Amendment (S96a) | 544 | 525 | 19 | |
| Uncategorised | 506 | 433 | 73 | |
| Householder (Prior Approval) | 432 | 355 | 77 | |
| Tree Works (Conservation Area) | 413 | 398 | 15 | |
| Outline Planning | 389 | 261 | 128 | |
| Reserved Matters | 217 | 212 | 5 | |
| Prior Approval (Other) | 202 | 178 | 24 | |
| Certificate of Lawfulness (Existing) | 124 | 122 | 2 | |
| Telecommunications | 124 | 100 | 24 | |
| Prior Approval (Class MA — Commercial to Residential) | 82 | 75 | 7 | |
| Prior Approval (Class Q — Agricultural to Residential) | 68 | 41 | 27 | |
| Environmental Impact Assessment (Screening/Scoping) | 52 | 52 | 0 | |
| Permission in Principle | 51 | 28 | 23 | |
| Prior Notification - Change of use | 47 | 44 | 3 | |
| Conservation Area Consent | 29 | 28 | 1 | |
| Neighbouring Authority (Article 16) | 16 | 16 | 0 | |
| Hedgerow Removal | 16 | 16 | 0 | |
| Prior Notification - Others | 15 | 15 | 0 | |
| Regulation 3 - LCC for LCC | 13 | 13 | 0 | |
| Modify or Discharge a S106 Planning Obligation | 10 | 8 | 2 | |
| EI Screening Opinion | 10 | 10 | 0 | |
| Outline application (major) | 9 | 4 | 5 | |
| County/Minerals/Waste | 9 | 7 | 2 | |
| Early acknowledgement for demolition | 9 | 9 | 0 | |
| Demolition | 7 | 6 | 1 | |
| Regulation 4 - LCC for others | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| Ecclesiastical Exemption | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| County determined matters | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| Pre-Application | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Quarter | Decided | Approved | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-Q3 | 185 | 176 | |
| 2023-Q4 | 241 | 236 | |
| 2024-Q1 | 240 | 237 | |
| 2024-Q2 | 262 | 254 | |
| 2024-Q3 | 293 | 285 | |
| 2024-Q4 | 282 | 275 | |
| 2025-Q1 | 236 | 214 | |
| 2025-Q2 | 307 | 297 | |
| 2025-Q3 | 265 | 248 | |
| 2025-Q4 | 303 | 278 | |
| 2026-Q1 | 214 | 205 | |
| 2026-Q2 | 113 | 108 |
| Ward | Total | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston Rural North | 517 | 490 | 27 | |
| City Centre | 429 | 405 | 24 | |
| Preston Rural East | 373 | 351 | 22 | |
| Garrison | 187 | 184 | 3 | |
| Ashton | 160 | 154 | 6 | |
| Sharoe Green | 145 | 139 | 6 | |
| Greyfriars | 137 | 132 | 5 | |
| St Matthews | 112 | 101 | 11 | |
| Deepdale | 107 | 105 | 2 | |
| Fishwick & Frenchwood | 104 | 100 | 4 | |
| Ingol & Cottam | 102 | 99 | 3 | |
| Plungington | 102 | 98 | 4 |
Not sure what you can build without planning permission? See our guides to permitted development rights and Article 4 directions.