Which ward in Canterbury has the highest planning approval rate?

St Stephens at 97.6% based on 296 decisions.

Which ward in Canterbury has the lowest planning approval rate?

Seasalter at 91.6% based on 534 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Canterbury?

There is a 6.0% gap between St Stephens and Seasalter. 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 6.0% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

11,168 real decisions·21 wards·Updated August 2026

95.1% approved overall. But 548 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in Canterbury shifts your odds by up to 6.0%. 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	St Stephens	296	289	7	97.6%
2	Nailbourne	755	735	20	97.4%
3	Little Stour And Adisham	652	633	19	97.1%
4	Sturry	607	587	20	96.7%
5	Chestfield	654	630	24	96.3%
6	West Bay	133	128	5	96.2%
7	Swalecliffe	204	196	8	96.1%
8	Wincheap	496	476	20	96.0%
9	Blean Forest	539	517	22	95.9%
10	Herne And Broomfield	445	426	19	95.7%
11	Barton	825	789	36	95.6%
12	Tankerton	316	302	14	95.6%
13	Greenhill	181	173	8	95.6%
14	Northgate	252	241	11	95.6%
15	Gorrell	1,113	1,059	54	95.1%
16	Reculver	406	384	22	94.6%
17	Chartham And Stone Street	830	782	48	94.2%
18	Heron	645	601	44	93.2%
19	Westgate	954	879	75	92.1%
20	Beltinge	279	256	23	91.8%
21	Seasalter	534	489	45	91.6%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

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

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What the data tells us

A 6.0% gap separates the best and worst wards. St Stephens approves 97.6% of applications while Seasalter approves just 91.6%. 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

548 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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More Canterbury planning data

Methodology: Covers 11,168 planning decisions in Canterbury, January 2020 to August 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 →