South Gloucestershire vs County Durham — planning approval compared
How do planning outcomes differ between South Gloucestershire and County Durham? A side-by-side comparison based on 29,369 combined decisions.
Last updated: March 2026
South Gloucestershire: 86.8%
15,146 decisions · 13,144 approved · 2,002 refused · 39 wards
County Durham: 95.0%
14,223 decisions · 13,506 approved · 717 refused · 113 wards
Overall approval rates
South Gloucestershire
86.8%
County Durham
95.0%
By application type
Advertisement — South Gloucestershire
96.0%
Advertisement — County Durham
97.5%
Certificate of Lawfulness — South Gloucestershire
85.9%
Certificate of Lawfulness — County Durham
85.3%
Change of Use — County Durham
80.9%
Discharge of Conditions — County Durham
99.1%
Full — South Gloucestershire
85.1%
Full — County Durham
94.4%
Listed Building — South Gloucestershire
94.0%
Listed Building — County Durham
98.0%
Other — South Gloucestershire
85.6%
Other — County Durham
95.8%
Prior Approval — South Gloucestershire
72.4%
Prior Approval — County Durham
90.6%
Trees — South Gloucestershire
96.0%
Trees — County Durham
92.5%
What the numbers mean
There is a 8.2 percentage point difference in overall approval rates between these councils. South Gloucestershire is the stricter of the two, which means similar applications may face higher refusal risk there. However, approval rates vary by ward and application type, so your specific situation may differ from the averages.
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