Canterbury planning approval rate
Canterbury council approved 95.1% of planning applications and refused 4.9%, based on 11,193 decisions analysed. Ranked 243rd out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
95.1%
overall approval rate
11,193
Decisions analysed
10,645
Approved
548
Refused
21
Wards covered
Planning in Canterbury? 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 Canterbury. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
92.1%
99.1%
95.1%
97.8%
96.4%
90.1%
94.2%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Canterbury, mined from 11,193 proposal descriptions.
96.3%
94.3%
97.3%
93.7%
94.7%
98.4%
94.4%
98.4%
91.4%
95.8%
86.4%
95.9%
94.4%
84.2%
90.3%
81.2%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Canterbury. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Gorrell
95.2%
Westgate
92.2%
Chartham And Stone Street
94.2%
Barton
95.6%
Nailbourne
97.4%
Little Stour And Adisham
97.1%
Chestfield
96.3%
Heron
93.2%
Sturry
96.7%
Blean Forest
95.9%
Seasalter
91.6%
Wincheap
96.0%
Herne And Broomfield
95.7%
Reculver
94.6%
Tankerton
95.6%
St Stephens
97.7%
Beltinge
91.8%
Northgate
95.7%
Swalecliffe
96.1%
Greenhill
95.6%
Wards in Canterbury
Gorrell
95.2% approval · 1,114 decisions
Westgate
92.2% approval · 957 decisions
Chartham And Stone Street
94.2% approval · 830 decisions
Barton
95.6% approval · 825 decisions
Nailbourne
97.4% approval · 756 decisions
Little Stour And Adisham
97.1% approval · 656 decisions
Chestfield
96.3% approval · 655 decisions
Heron
93.2% approval · 646 decisions
Sturry
96.7% approval · 609 decisions
Blean Forest
95.9% approval · 540 decisions
Seasalter
91.6% approval · 536 decisions
Wincheap
96.0% approval · 497 decisions
Herne And Broomfield
95.7% approval · 446 decisions
Reculver
94.6% approval · 409 decisions
Tankerton
95.6% approval · 316 decisions
St Stephens
97.7% approval · 298 decisions
Beltinge
91.8% approval · 279 decisions
Northgate
95.7% approval · 253 decisions
Swalecliffe
96.1% approval · 204 decisions
Greenhill
95.6% approval · 181 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Canterbury, showing how the council decides real applications.
G1 - Hazel - group of trees located on rear boundary - to remove the leaning ivy · Little Stour And Adisham · Fri 21 Aug 2026
T1 Crown lift and reduction from 9 metres to 6 metres of Magnolia tree in rear g · St Stephens · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Single-storey rear extension. · Little Stour And Adisham · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Canterbury, 1 in 20 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 Canterbury
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Canterbury →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Canterbury
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 11,193 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Canterbury
What is the planning approval rate in Canterbury?
Based on 11,193 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Canterbury approved 95.1% of applications and refused 4.9%. The council is ranked 243rd out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Canterbury?
Canterbury refuses 4.9% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 20. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 11,193 decided applications since 2020, 548 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Canterbury have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Canterbury are in St Stephens (97.7%), Nailbourne (97.4%), and Little Stour And Adisham (97.1%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Canterbury?
The most common planning application types in Canterbury are: Full (5,075 decisions, 92.1% approved), Other (4,268, 99.1%), and Listed Building (658, 95.1%).
How long does a planning application take in Canterbury?
Planning applications in Canterbury take an average of 10.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 11,146 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. Canterbury decides approximately 1,866 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Canterbury?
You can search planning applications in Canterbury directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 11,193 historical decisions in Canterbury to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Canterbury calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Canterbury'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.