The town where HMO conversions are submitted at nearly three times the national rate.
Wigan Council received 1,478 planning applications in 2025, up from 1,397 the year before. Of the 2,479 applications decided across 2024 and 2025, 13.5% were refused, against a national refusal rate of 12.4%. HMO conversions made up 3.5% of the application mix, nearly three times the national share of 1.2%, the town's clearest planning signature. Change of use to residential ran at 1.8 times the national rate.
The year in one line
Wigan files HMO conversions at nearly three times the national share and change of use to residential at 1.8 times, making the town's application mix one of the most conversion-heavy in the country, while 1 in 7 applications is refused.
What Wigan Is Building
Extensions dominate, HMO conversions stand out.
Home extensions were by far the most common application type submitted to Wigan Council in 2025, at 32.3% of the total, above the national share of 29.1%. The category that sets Wigan apart is HMO conversions: 3.5% of all applications, against a national average of 1.2%. Change of use to residential also ran well ahead of the norm, at 4.0% against 2.2% nationally. This is the application mix of a town actively reshaping its housing stock.
Applications submitted to Wigan Council in 2025, by project type (pooled 2024-2025 counts).
The HMO effect
Wigan files HMO conversions at 2.8 times the national rate and change of use to residential at 1.8 times. These are the categories that mark the town out from the national mix.
The council verdict
A refusal rate above the norm.
Wigan Council approved 86.5% of the applications it decided and refused 13.5%, against a national refusal rate of 12.4%. That is about 1 in 7 applications turned down. The approval rate of 86.5% sits just below the national figure of 87.6%.
About 1 in 7 Wigan applications was turned down.
of decided applications were refused, against a national rate of 12.4%, a 13.5% refusal rate. Based on 2,479 decisions across 2024 and 2025.
Wigan vs The National Norm
A town reshaping its stock, led by HMO conversions.
Set Wigan's application mix against the national average and two categories stand out sharply. HMO conversions appear in 3.5% of applications here, 2.8 times the national share of 1.2%, and change of use to residential runs at 4.0% against 2.2% nationally. Home extensions at 32.3% are also above the national 29.1%. Outbuildings and demolition both run below the national norm, pointing to a town that leans on internal conversions and stock changes rather than new outbuildings.
Wigan files HMO conversions at nearly three times the national rate. Paired with a refusal rate of 13.5%, above the national 12.4%, it is a tougher place than most to win consent for conversion projects.
Each bar is Wigan's share of applications; the marker is the national share. HMO conversions are the town's defining outlier.
Meanwhile, the market
Prices moved alongside the building work.
Permission may be harder to win here, but homes still changed hands at solid prices through the year.
Wigan's planning data points to a town in active transition. HMO conversions and change of use to residential both run well above the national mix, reflecting demand to rework existing housing stock rather than build anew. For anyone buying here, the data is clear: conversion-led projects face close scrutiny, and 1 in 7 applications is refused. Do not treat permission as a formality.
Where the numbers come from
Planning Data
Applications submitted to Wigan Council in 2025 (2024-2025 pooled for 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 applications with a decision. 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 Wigan post town, the latest full year's completions.
The Real Applications
Open the planning applications behind the numbers.
These are real applications submitted in the Wigan Council area, from refused HMO conversions to the extensions and conversions that make up most of the town's caseload. Open any one to see its full record.
21 Swan Meadow Road WN3 5BJ
A plan to turn a home into a four-bed house in multiple occupation was refused, the kind of HMO conversion that runs at nearly three times the national rate in Wigan.
See this property's full record10 Lorne Street WN1 3JJ
A proposed change of use from a house to a four-bed HMO with a rear cycle store was refused, one of roughly 1 in 7 applications the council turned down.
See this property's full record23 Victoria Avenue WN6 7AN
A certificate confirming the lawful use of a property as a four-bed, four-person house in multiple occupation was granted, the rental change Wigan files at 2.8 times the national rate.
See this property's full record4 Harbrook Grove, Hindley Green WN2 4UB
A single-storey rear extension replacing a conservatory was approved, the most common project type in Wigan.
See this property's full record40 Crank Road, Billinge WN5 7EX
A side extension and a hip-to-gable loft conversion with front and rear dormers were approved together, the kind of stock-reworking project the town leans on.
See this property's full record16 Clough Grove, Ashton In Makerfield WN4 0LP
A detached granny annexe in the rear garden, replacing a garage and shed, was approved with conditions.
See this property's full recordCurious about a home in Wigan?
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