Barnsley refuses just 1 in 16 planning applications. That is half the national refusal rate.
Barnsley Council received 975 planning applications in 2025 and, across the 2024 to 2025 period, approved 93.9% of those it decided, well above the national rate of 87.6%. Only 6.1% were refused, about 1 in 16, against a national average of 1 in 8. Home extensions led the workload at 36.7% of applications submitted to Barnsley Council. This is a town where permission is comparatively straightforward to secure.
The year in one line
Barnsley approved 93.9% of the planning applications it decided in 2024 to 2025, refused just 6.1%, and saw listed-building works run at 1.6 times the national share, reflecting the town's significant historic building stock.
What Barnsley Is Building
Extensions dominate, listed buildings add texture.
Home extensions were the most common project type submitted to Barnsley Council in 2024 to 2025, at 36.7% of all applications, well above the national norm of 29.1%. Demolition came second at 9.3%, followed by dormers at 4.4%, retrospective applications at 3.9%, and listed-building works at 3.8%. The mix reflects a town where owners predominantly apply to expand existing homes, with a notable share of consent work tied to the area's historic building stock.
Applications submitted to Barnsley Council in 2024 to 2025, by project type.
Two categories stand out
Listed-building works ran at 1.6 times the national share, and annexe applications ran at 1.7 times the national share. Extensions were also above the national share, at 36.7% versus 29.1%.
The council verdict
A council that says yes more readily than most.
Barnsley Council approved 93.9% of the applications it decided across 2024 to 2025 and refused just 6.1%, both significantly better for applicants than the national figures of 87.6% and 12.4%. On the headline measure of securing consent, Barnsley sits well above the national norm.
About 1 in 16 Barnsley applications was turned down.
of applications were refused, against a national rate of 12.4%. Barnsley's approval rate, at 93.9%, sits well above the national average.
Barnsley vs The National Norm
Extensions up, dormers down, and listed works well above average.
Set Barnsley's application mix against the national average and three features stand out. Home extensions account for 36.7% of applications here versus 29.1% nationally. Listed-building works run at 3.8% versus a national 2.4%, reflecting the area's historic stock. Annexe applications run at 1.9% versus 1.1% nationally. Running the other way, dormers and loft conversions are below the national share, suggesting owners here favour ground-level extensions over roof alterations.
Applications were refused in Barnsley, against 1 in 8 across England and Wales. The council's 93.9% approval rate sits well above the national figure of 87.6%.
Each bar is Barnsley's share of applications submitted in 2024 to 2025; the marker is the national share. Extensions and listed works are the town's defining leans above the norm.
Meanwhile, the market
Prices moved alongside the building work.
The bulk of Barnsley's consent-needing work is owners extending existing homes, and values rose over the year as that work went on.
Barnsley's planning record is notable for two things: a refusal rate that is roughly half the national figure, and a listed-building consent workload that runs well above the norm. Owners here apply overwhelmingly to extend existing homes, and the council approves nearly nineteen in twenty of those applications. For anyone buying in Barnsley, that is a straightforward and reassuring picture.
Where the numbers come from
Planning Data
Applications submitted to Barnsley Council in 2025 (volume) and decided across 2024 to 2025 (rates and shares), classified from each application's published description. Shares are each category as a percentage of all applications in scope.
Decision Rates
Approval rate is approvals as a share of approvals plus refusals, computed over the pooled 2024 to 2025 window for stability. The national benchmarks are computed the same way across all decided applications in England and Wales.
Sales Data
HM Land Registry Price Paid Data for the Barnsley post town, the latest full year's completions, with growth measured against the previous year.
The Real Applications
Open the planning applications behind the numbers.
These are real applications submitted to Barnsley Council, from the extensions the area files most to listed-building works and a pair of refusals. Open any one to see its full record.
12 Meadow Lane, Darton S75 5PF
A single-storey rear extension, the most common project type submitted to Barnsley Council, was approved with conditions.
See this property's full record28 Richmond Avenue, Darton S75 5PH
A two-storey side extension was granted, the kind of added-space scheme that leads the area's workload.
See this property's full record13 Whinmoor Way, Silkstone S75 4JE
Permission was given to demolish an attached garage and replace it with a two-storey side extension.
See this property's full record70 Pontefract Road S71 1AB
Two flats above were converted into a single house in multiple occupation, one of the area's HMO schemes where applications ran at 1.6 times the national share.
See this property's full record18 Canada Street S70 4JZ
A two-storey outbuilding with a garage, sun lounge, gym and store was turned down, one of the roughly 1 in 16 applications the council refused.
See this property's full record11 Hardwick Grove, Dodworth S75 3SS
A retrospective front and side boundary wall, already built, was refused after the council assessed it.
See this property's full recordCurious about a home in Barnsley?
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