Bury in Greater Manchester includes Bury town, Radcliffe, and Prestwich. Known for its market, mill heritage, and listed buildings such as the East Lancashire Railway station, Bury blends urban areas with surrounding Green Belt, which accounts for 53.8% of the borough. Planning requires careful policy navigation for town centre and suburban developments.
In the last year Bury decided 780 applications which is slightly below the national average of 959. The approval rate was 86% (roughly equal to the national average of 88%) and 72% of applications were decided on time, (significantly above the national average of 58%). Stats updated Sept 2026 from gov.uk sources. See how Bury performs relative to other LPAs in our LPA hub.
Bury currently reports a five-year housing land supply of 4.1 years (updated June 2026). This is moderately below the national requirement. Compared with other authorities in the North West, Bury has a moderate housing land supply position.
Significantly, 53.8% of Bury is within the Green Belt and proposals in these areas can be subject to high levels of scrutiny.
The Green Belt near Ramsbottom and Tottington protects rural areas and prevents coalescence between settlements.
In our experience, one of the top reasons poorly conceived Green Belt proposals are refused is causing 'harm to openness'. We can lower the risk of refusal with site-specific guidance. Contact us here.
You can also check whether your land is within the Green Belt using our interactive Green Belt map.
As well as acting as Planning Consultants we are ARB registered architects with over 25 years’ experience. We support clients through all stages of the planning process, offering the following services:
Creative architectural design is often what secures Planning Permission where standard approaches fall short. Tell us about your project.
Bury in Greater Manchester includes Bury town, Radcliffe, and Prestwich. Known for its market, mill heritage, and listed buildings such as the East Lancashire Railway station, Bury blends urban areas with surrounding Green Belt, which accounts for 53.8% of the borough. Planning requires careful policy navigation for town centre and suburban developments.
In the last year Bury decided 780 applications which is slightly below the national average of 959. The approval rate was 86% (roughly equal to the national average of 88%) and 72% of applications were decided on time, (significantly above the national average of 58%). Stats updated Sept 2026 from gov.uk sources. See how Bury performs relative to other LPAs in our LPA hub.
Bury currently reports a five-year housing land supply of 4.1 years (updated June 2026). This is moderately below the national requirement. Compared with other authorities in the North West, Bury has a moderate housing land supply position.
Significantly, 53.8% of Bury is within the Green Belt and proposals in these areas can be subject to high levels of scrutiny.
The Green Belt near Ramsbottom and Tottington protects rural areas and prevents coalescence between settlements.
In our experience, one of the top reasons poorly conceived Green Belt proposals are refused is causing 'harm to openness'. We can lower the risk of refusal with site-specific guidance. Contact us here.
You can also check whether your land is within the Green Belt using our interactive Green Belt map.
As well as acting as Planning Consultants we are ARB registered architects with over 25 years’ experience. We support clients through all stages of the planning process, offering the following services:
Creative architectural design is often what secures Planning Permission where standard approaches fall short. Tell us about your project.
