Which ward in Canterbury has the highest planning approval rate?

St Stephens at 97.8% based on 275 decisions.

Which ward in Canterbury has the lowest planning approval rate?

Seasalter at 91.5% based on 504 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Canterbury?

There is a 6.3% 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 6.3% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

10,484 real decisions·21 wards·Updated May 2026

95.0% approved overall. But 522 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in Canterbury shifts your odds by up to 6.3%. 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	275	269	6	97.8%
2	Nailbourne	711	692	19	97.3%
3	Little Stour And Adisham	597	579	18	97.0%
4	Sturry	569	549	20	96.5%
5	Swalecliffe	193	186	7	96.4%
6	Chestfield	614	590	24	96.1%
7	West Bay	127	122	5	96.1%
8	Wincheap	463	443	20	95.7%
9	Barton	770	737	33	95.7%
10	Blean Forest	512	490	22	95.7%
11	Herne And Broomfield	430	411	19	95.6%
12	Reculver	379	362	17	95.5%
13	Greenhill	176	168	8	95.5%
14	Northgate	243	232	11	95.5%
15	Tankerton	303	289	14	95.4%
16	Gorrell	1,048	996	52	95.0%
17	Chartham And Stone Street	777	733	44	94.3%
18	Heron	601	558	43	92.8%
19	Westgate	881	810	71	91.9%
20	Beltinge	262	240	22	91.6%
21	Seasalter	504	461	43	91.5%

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 6.3% gap separates the best and worst wards. St Stephens approves 97.8% of applications while Seasalter approves just 91.5%. 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

522 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 10,484 planning decisions in Canterbury, January 2020 to present. 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 →