Which ward in Canterbury has the highest planning approval rate?

Nailbourne at 97.4% based on 776 decisions.

Which ward in Canterbury has the lowest planning approval rate?

Beltinge at 92.0% based on 289 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Canterbury?

There is a 5.4% gap between Nailbourne and Beltinge. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Canterbury

Planning outcomes in Canterbury are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 5.4% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

7,140 real decisions·21 wards·Updated September 2026

93.6% approved overall. But 459 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in Canterbury shifts your odds by up to 5.4%. The council average doesn't tell you which side of that gap you're on.

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All 21 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Nailbourne	776	756	20	97.4%
2	St Stephens	309	301	8	97.4%
3	Little Stour And Adisham	673	654	19	97.2%
4	Sturry	629	609	20	96.8%
5	Chestfield	668	644	24	96.4%
6	West Bay	136	131	5	96.3%
7	Swalecliffe	211	203	8	96.2%
8	Wincheap	512	492	20	96.1%
9	Blean Forest	554	532	22	96.0%
10	Herne And Broomfield	449	430	19	95.8%
11	Northgate	261	250	11	95.8%
12	Greenhill	186	178	8	95.7%
13	Barton	841	803	38	95.5%
14	Gorrell	1,144	1,090	54	95.3%
15	Tankerton	319	304	15	95.3%
16	Reculver	416	394	22	94.7%
17	Chartham And Stone Street	856	808	48	94.4%
18	Heron	659	615	44	93.3%
19	Westgate	981	906	75	92.4%
20	Seasalter	562	517	45	92.0%
21	Beltinge	289	266	23	92.0%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in Nailbourne but face serious resistance in Beltinge.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

A 5.4% gap separates the best and worst wards. Nailbourne approves 97.4% of applications while Beltinge approves just 92.0%. That's a fundamentally different planning environment.

High volume doesn't mean high approval. Some of the busiest wards aren't the most permissive. The number of applications a ward processes tells you nothing about how likely yours is to succeed.

Ward averages are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your specific outcome depends on your property, your neighbours, your proposal type and the comparable decisions near your address.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

459 planning applications in Canterbury have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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Free · Property report emailed in minutes · Based on 3,840,000+ real decisions

More Canterbury planning data

Methodology: Covers 7,140 planning decisions in Canterbury, January 2020 to September 2026. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from Canterbury Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →