Bath & NE Somerset planning approval rate
Bath & NE Somerset council approved 93.3% of planning applications and refused 6.7%, based on 36,813 decisions analysed. Ranked 198th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to March 2026
93.3%
overall approval rate
36,813
Decisions analysed
34,335
Approved
2,478
Refused
41
Wards covered
Planning in Bath & NE Somerset? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Bath & NE Somerset. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
93.3%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Bath & NE Somerset, mined from 36,813 proposal descriptions.
95.1%
89.4%
83.1%
94.7%
91.8%
92.1%
91.2%
95.8%
91.5%
92.8%
91.7%
94.5%
96.0%
87.5%
86.8%
87.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Bath & NE Somerset. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Kingsmead
94.8%
Lansdown
95.8%
Bathwick
95.7%
Bathavon North
93.1%
Widcombe And Lyncombe
97.9%
Bathavon South
91.2%
Abbey
94.7%
Walcot
95.3%
Newbridge
95.2%
Combe Down
94.4%
Weston
96.7%
Lambridge
94.5%
Chew Valley
92.4%
Widcombe
94.8%
Saltford
92.4%
Radstock
89.0%
Oldfield Park
93.9%
Westmoreland
89.2%
Keynsham East
91.3%
Odd Down
91.3%
Wards in Bath & NE Somerset
Kingsmead
94.8% approval · 2,786 decisions
Lansdown
95.8% approval · 2,463 decisions
Bathwick
95.7% approval · 2,437 decisions
Bathavon North
93.1% approval · 2,020 decisions
Widcombe And Lyncombe
97.9% approval · 1,840 decisions
Bathavon South
91.2% approval · 1,724 decisions
Abbey
94.7% approval · 1,645 decisions
Walcot
95.3% approval · 1,611 decisions
Newbridge
95.2% approval · 1,406 decisions
Combe Down
94.4% approval · 1,377 decisions
Weston
96.7% approval · 1,359 decisions
Lambridge
94.5% approval · 1,358 decisions
Chew Valley
92.4% approval · 1,073 decisions
Widcombe
94.8% approval · 920 decisions
Saltford
92.4% approval · 882 decisions
Radstock
89.0% approval · 693 decisions
Oldfield Park
93.9% approval · 683 decisions
Westmoreland
89.2% approval · 650 decisions
Keynsham East
91.3% approval · 635 decisions
Odd Down
91.3% approval · 623 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Bath & NE Somerset, showing how the council decides real applications.
26/00153/FUL
Replacement of existing dilapidated and inappropriate conservatory with new trad · Walcot · 2026-03-13
26/00154/LBA
External alterations for the replacement of existing dilapidated and inappropria · Walcot · 2026-03-13
25/04021/FUL
Erection of single storey North West and South East extensions and 2 storey side · Mendip · 2026-03-13
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Bath & NE Somerset, 1 in 15 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Bath & NE Somerset
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Bath & NE Somerset →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Bath & NE Somerset
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 36,813 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Bath & NE Somerset
What is the planning approval rate in Bath & NE Somerset?
Based on 36,813 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Bath & NE Somerset approved 93.3% of applications and refused 6.7%. The council is ranked 198th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Bath & NE Somerset?
Bath & NE Somerset refuses 6.7% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 15. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 36,813 decided applications since 2020, 2,478 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Bath & NE Somerset have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Bath & NE Somerset are in Widcombe And Lyncombe (97.9%), Weston (96.7%), and Moorlands (96.4%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Bath & NE Somerset?
The most common planning application types in Bath & NE Somerset are: Other (36,813 decisions, 93.3% approved).
How long does a planning application take in Bath & NE Somerset?
Planning applications in Bath & NE Somerset take an average of 10.2 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 36,724 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Bath & NE Somerset decides approximately 6,136 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Bath & NE Somerset?
You can search planning applications in Bath & NE Somerset directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 36,813 historical decisions in Bath & NE Somerset to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Bath & NE Somerset calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Bath & NE Somerset's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.