Nearby approvals and refusals

See what actually happens near your property

When considering a planning application, it’s valuable to know not just the rules, but how local councils have acted in real cases that look like yours.

Nearby Approvals & Refusals Insight gives you exactly that: a synthesis of past planning decisions in your area, showing what’s been accepted, what’s been refused, and what trends emerge from decisions close to your home.

This insight turns planning data into a practical, evidence-based context you can use before you submit.

What “Nearby Approvals & Refusals” means for you

Councils make planning decisions every day — approving some applications and refusing others.
But that information isn’t easy for homeowners to interpret. It’s buried in council portals, PDFs, and bureaucratic language.

Our Nearby Approvals & Refusals Insight extracts and explains:

• Approved applications — what was accepted nearby

• Refused applications — what was rejected and why

• The patterns in decisions — similarities in design, scale, or context

This gives you a grounded understanding of how planners have treated projects like yours in your area.

Why this matters to homeowners

When you’re planning an extension, loft conversion, or other changes:

• Rules alone don’t tell the whole story
  Policies are abstract. Decisions show practice, not theory.

• Approved vs refused tells you what works locally
  Two projects can meet the same policy yet be judged differently. Seeing actual decisions helps you avoid common pitfalls.

• Refusals reveal hidden constraints
  You’ll see real examples of what planners push back on — often reasons you wouldn’t find in a policy summary.

This insight helps you position your plans realistically, so you can design, adapt, or decide with evidence — not guesswork.

How you can use this insight

Before you start detailed plans

Rather than pay for architectural drawings before you know what tends to be approved locally, use this insight early to shape your concept.

To refine your design

Seeing what has been refused nearby can help you avoid the same mistakes — saving time and money.

To decide between permitted development and full planning

Understanding the local history of approvals and refusals helps you decide whether your project is likely to qualify under permitted development or needs full planning permission.

To prepare a stronger application

If you do choose to apply, you’ll have context on what councillors have looked for previously — giving you a clearer sense of how to frame your proposal.

How it works

1. Enter your address and project type
   We need to know where your property is and what you’re planning.

2. We gather and analyse past decisions
   Using publicly available planning data, we identify planning applications near you that are similar in type and scale.

3. You receive clear insight
   A plain-English summary tells you what has been approved, what has been refused, and what common patterns emerge.

No policy jargon. No long council PDFs. Just context you can act on.

Who this is for

• Homeowners are unsure how planning councils behave locally

• People are comparing proposed ideas to actual decisions

• Anyone wanting context before paying for drawings or advice

• Homeowners seeking clarity before applying for planning permission

Real decisions. Local context. Informed choices.

Nearby Approvals & Refusals Insight helps you ground your planning decisions in real local outcomes, giving you confidence long before you submit.