Planning Approval Rate in West Lindsey
West Lindsey is somewhat more approving than the England average for planning permission: it approves 92.5% of applications and decides 97.2% of them within the statutory time limit, ranking #78 of 310 English authorities. This page sets out how hard it is to get planning permission in West Lindsey, how quickly the council decides, and how it compares with its neighbours — from official government figures plus the live planning activity PlanWatch tracks across West Lindsey District Council.
Source: official MHCLG planning statistics (PS2), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Based on 562 decisions (520 granted, 42 refused).
How West Lindsey compares
| West Lindsey | 92.5% |
| East Midlands average | 89.8% |
| England average | 87% |
West Lindsey is 5.5 points easier than the England average.
How hard is it to get planning permission in West Lindsey?
West Lindsey is in the more approving third of English authorities, granting 92.5% of the applications it decides (rank 78th of 310). That puts it somewhat more approving than the England average — 92.5% approved against an England average of 87%. Within East Midlands it is the 12th most approving of 35 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 89.8%. Refusals are uncommon here: 42 of its 562 decisions were refusals (7.5%). On the split by scale it is about as likely to approve major schemes as small ones: 93.9% of major developments approved versus 93.7% of householder and other small-scale work, from 49 major decisions.
On timing it is among the faster authorities, deciding 97.2% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on a mid-sized caseload of 562 decisions over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, where the typical English authority decides around 783. Among its East Midlands neighbours it sits between East Lindsey (92.9%, more approving) and Gedling (92.4%, stricter). For context in East Midlands, North Kesteven approves the most (97.2%) and Oadby and Wigston the least (71.7%).
Compare West Lindsey with nearby councils
Approval rates for other authorities in East Midlands. See the full East Midlands league table.
Approval rate by development scale in West Lindsey
Live planning activity in West Lindsey District Council
From the latest planning data PlanWatch holds (to 21 August 2026). These are the records we've collected — the freshness the annual government table lacks.
What people apply for in West Lindsey District Council
Where planning activity concentrates in West Lindsey District Council
Recent applications in West Lindsey District Council
Track live decisions near a postcode on the PlanWatch West Lindsey page.
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Planning permission in West Lindsey: common questions
Is it hard to get planning permission in West Lindsey?
On the latest official figures West Lindsey is somewhat more approving than the England average and in the more approving third of English authorities, approving 92.5% of the 562 applications it decided over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 against 87% for England.
What percentage of planning applications does West Lindsey approve or refuse?
Refusals are uncommon here: 92.5% approved and 7.5% refused — 520 granted and 42 refused of 562 decisions, with major schemes approved at 93.9% and householder and other work at 93.7%.
How quickly does West Lindsey decide planning applications?
On timing West Lindsey is among the faster authorities: 97.2% of applications were decided within the statutory period — eight weeks for most, thirteen for major schemes — against 90.6% nationally.
Is West Lindsey stricter than nearby councils?
West Lindsey's 92.5% approval rate makes it the 12th most approving of 35 authorities in East Midlands, against a 89.8% regional average. Neighbouring East Lindsey approves 92.9% and Gedling 92.4%.
Can I use West Lindsey's approval rate to predict whether my application will be approved?
No — the approval rate is a historic average across every application West Lindsey decided, not a prediction for any individual application; your outcome depends on the site, the proposal, local planning policy and any objections.
Methodology & limits
Approval, refusal and in-time rates come from the government's official PS2 planning application statistics (Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government), covering 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. This dataset is England-only and published annually, so it lags live activity. Live figures are the applications PlanWatch has collected for West Lindsey District Council and are not a complete council register. Refusal reasons and delegated-vs-committee splits are not published in this data.
This is a historic average, not a prediction. It cannot tell you whether your application will be approved — that depends on your site, proposal, local policy and any objections.
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