Canterbury Council approves 93.6% of planning applications, based on 7,233 decisions from the council’s public planning portal. The national approval rate across the councils PlanningLens tracks is 87.43%. Canterbury is 6.2 percentage points above that rate.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,958 decided applications, Canterbury Council approved 96.2% of planning applications in 2025. Across 7,233 decisions on record (March 2021 to October 2026), the overall approval rate in Canterbury is 93.6%; the national approval rate across the councils PlanningLens tracks is 87.43%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Canterbury council planning portal records · Data to 19 October 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode to see approval patterns for your ward and application type.
This table counts every decided application in Canterbury, including types that the headline rate leaves out, so its totals are larger than the headline figure.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 4,783 | 407 | 5,190 | 92.2% |
| Other | 4,353 | 41 | 4,394 | 99.1% |
| Listed Building | 653 | 33 | 686 | 95.2% |
| Trees | 444 | 10 | 454 | 97.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 275 | 10 | 285 | 96.5% |
| Advertisement | 230 | 25 | 255 | 90.2% |
| Prior Approval | 184 | 11 | 195 | 94.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 95 | 18 | 113 | 84.1% |
The free check shows approval patterns for your postcode. The property report follows by email.
Check my postcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gorrell | 1,096 | 55 | 1,151 | 95.2% |
| Westgate | 918 | 75 | 993 | 92.4% |
| Chartham And Stone Street | 813 | 48 | 861 | 94.4% |
| Barton | 813 | 38 | 851 | 95.5% |
| Nailbourne | 759 | 20 | 779 | 97.4% |
| Little Stour And Adisham | 661 | 19 | 680 | 97.2% |
| Chestfield | 649 | 24 | 673 | 96.4% |
| Heron | 620 | 44 | 664 | 93.4% |
| Sturry | 614 | 20 | 634 | 96.8% |
| Seasalter | 523 | 46 | 569 | 91.9% |
| Blean Forest | 538 | 22 | 560 | 96.1% |
| Wincheap | 495 | 21 | 516 | 95.9% |
| Herne And Broomfield | 434 | 19 | 453 | 95.8% |
| Reculver | 394 | 22 | 416 | 94.7% |
| Tankerton | 304 | 15 | 319 | 95.3% |
| St Stephens | 302 | 8 | 310 | 97.4% |
| Beltinge | 266 | 23 | 289 | 92.0% |
| Northgate | 253 | 11 | 264 | 95.8% |
| Swalecliffe | 203 | 8 | 211 | 96.2% |
| Greenhill | 182 | 8 | 190 | 95.8% |
| West Bay | 132 | 5 | 137 | 96.4% |
How Canterbury’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 2.6pp since 2021.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Each reference links to the record on the council’s planning portal.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| CA/26/01197 Blean Forest | Two-storey side extension | Approved |
| CA/25/01457 Sturry | Change of use from dental practice to residential dwelling. | Approved |
| CA/26/01549 Barton | Removal of Willow Tree located in the rear garden. | Approved |
| CA/26/01516 Barton | Single-Storey rear extension with the addition of a roof lantern to existing dwe | Approved |
| CA/26/01479 Little Stour And Adisham | Dogwood tree, remove tree located on the boundary hanging over the pavement. | Approved |
| CA/26/01460 Chartham And Stone Street | New 1.2m high fencing and gates to rear boundary following demolition of existin | Approved |
| CA/26/01290 Seasalter | Two storey side extension, dormers to front and rear, detached annexe, conservat | Approved |
| CA/26/01160 Gorrell | Two-storey and single-storey rear extension together with rooflight to front and | Approved |
| CA/26/00711 Barton | Installation of 2 modular garden room units and 2 semi-enclosed bench seating po | Approved |
| CA/26/00370 Herne And Broomfield | Application for listed building consent for replacement of 6no windows to front | Approved |
See what has been approved and refused near your address. The property report covers the 20 nearest decisions, refusal patterns in your ward and approval rates by project type, drawn from Canterbury's 7,233 decisions.
Check my postcodeCompare Canterbury's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Canterbury's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Canterbury. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 7,233 real decisions from Canterbury council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Canterbury's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 7,233 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Canterbury is 93.6%. The national approval rate across the councils PlanningLens tracks is 87.43%.
PlanningLens has analysed 7,233 planning decisions from Canterbury council. 6,771 were approved and 462 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, March 2021 to October 2026.
The average approval rate in Canterbury is 93.6%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Canterbury? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.