Manchester's listed-building applications run at nearly four times the national rate. And 1 in 6 planning decisions ends in refusal.
Manchester Council received 3,996 planning applications in 2025 and refused 16.4% of those decided, against a national refusal rate of 12.4%. That makes permission harder to win here than across England as a whole. The standout in the application mix is listed-building works: 9.4% of submissions against a national average of 2.4%, a 3.9x multiple that reflects the city's unusually deep stock of protected buildings.
The year in one line
Manchester refuses about 1 in 6 of the applications it decides, well above the national norm, and its listed-building caseload runs at nearly four times the national share, the mark of a city with an unusually large protected built heritage.
What Manchester Is Building
Extensions dominate, with listed-building works a clear standout.
Home extensions were the most common submission to Manchester Council in 2025, at 22.3% of all applications. The category that sets Manchester apart is listed-building works: 9.4% of submissions, against a national average of 2.4%, a 3.9x multiple. Dormers added a further 5.3%. Basement digs also ran above the national share at 1.7% versus 1.0%. This is the application mix of a city with significant protected heritage stock alongside a busy residential extension market.
Applications submitted to Manchester Council in 2025, by project type.
The listed-building effect
Manchester files listed-building works at 3.9 times the national rate, the city's clearest planning standout. It reflects the breadth of the city's protected building stock, from Victorian civic buildings to Georgian terraces.
The council verdict
A harder yes than the national norm.
Manchester Council refused 16.4% of the applications it decided in the analysed sample, against a national refusal rate of 12.4%, so roughly 1 in 6 are turned down. The approval rate was 83.6%, compared with 87.6% nationally.
About 1 in 6 Manchester applications was turned down.
of decided applications were refused, against a 12.4% national rate. About 1 in 6 Manchester applications did not get permission.
Manchester vs The National Norm
A city defined by heritage, not just extension.
Set Manchester's application mix against the national average and one figure dominates. Listed-building works make up 9.4% of submissions here, against 2.4% nationally, a 3.9x gap. Home extensions are below the national share at 22.3% versus 29.1%, and demolition applications are well below norm. The categories Manchester does more of point to a city managing a large protected stock alongside everyday residential alterations.
Manchester submits listed-building works at nearly four times the national rate. It reflects the city's large stock of protected Victorian and Georgian buildings requiring consent for even routine alterations.
Each bar is Manchester's share of applications submitted in 2025; the marker is the national share. Listed-building works are the city's defining divergence.
Meanwhile, the market
Prices moved alongside the planning activity.
Permission may be harder to win here, but prices have climbed sharply: the average Manchester home rose more than a fifth in value over the year.
Manchester's planning data tells a clear story. This is a city with deep heritage roots: listed-building applications run at nearly four times the national rate, the biggest divergence we see. The council also refuses more often than the national average, so 1 in 6 applications does not get through. For anyone buying a listed or period property here, the consent requirements and the refusal rate are the two constraints to factor in from the outset.
Where the numbers come from
Planning Data
Applications submitted to Manchester Council in 2025, classified from each application's published description. Decision rates are computed over the analysed sample of 2025 applications. 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. 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 Manchester area, 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 in Manchester, from listed-building consents to refused changes of use. Open any one to see its full record.
12 Lymington Close, Middleton M24 1JJ
A single-storey rear extension and a garage converted into living space were confirmed lawful, typical of the extension work that makes up the bulk of Manchester's caseload.
See this property's full record78 Woodhouse Road, Urmston M41 7WX
A plan to demolish a garage and build single and two-storey side and rear extensions was turned down, one of the roughly 1 in 6 applications the council refused.
See this property's full record4 Starkie Street, Worsley M28 2JJ
A proposed front and rear dormer loft conversion was refused, another of the applications the council declined.
See this property's full record7 Woodland Crescent, Prestwich M25 9WQ
A loft conversion with front and rear dormers was approved with conditions, the kind of roof adaptation common across the city.
See this property's full record143 Moorfield Avenue, Denton M34 7TU
A detached single-storey home office and gym already built in the garden was granted permission after the fact, one of 120 retrospective applications submitted in 2025.
See this property's full record37 Pytha Fold Road M20 4UH
Permission was granted to add a front porch extension, a small everyday alteration of the sort the council approves most.
See this property's full recordCurious about a home in Manchester?
UK Property Looker turns the UK's public property data into clear, free insight: sale history, energy ratings, planning activity and more for every address in England and Wales.