Cheltenham Council approves 96.0% of planning applications, based on 14,041 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Cheltenham sits 7.7 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,537 decided applications, Cheltenham Council approved 96.5% of planning applications in 2025. Across 14,041 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Cheltenham is 96.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Cheltenham council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Cheltenham.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 7,031 | 327 | 7,358 | 95.6% |
| Other | 3,116 | 29 | 3,145 | 99.1% |
| Listed Building | 1,641 | 59 | 1,700 | 96.5% |
| Trees | 726 | 26 | 752 | 96.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 404 | 17 | 421 | 96.0% |
| Advertisement | 358 | 36 | 394 | 90.9% |
| Change of Use | 117 | 5 | 122 | 95.9% |
| Prior Approval | 85 | 23 | 108 | 78.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 0 | 41 | 41 | 0.0% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lansdown | 1,493 | 65 | 1,558 | 95.8% |
| Park | 1,511 | 38 | 1,549 | 97.5% |
| College | 1,425 | 44 | 1,469 | 97.0% |
| All Saints | 942 | 46 | 988 | 95.3% |
| Leckhampton | 953 | 25 | 978 | 97.4% |
| Pittville | 935 | 33 | 968 | 96.6% |
| Charlton Park | 911 | 28 | 939 | 97.0% |
| Charlton Kings | 854 | 33 | 887 | 96.3% |
| Prestbury | 811 | 31 | 842 | 96.3% |
| Battledown | 642 | 49 | 691 | 92.9% |
| Benhall/The Reddings/Fiddlers Green | 459 | 25 | 484 | 94.8% |
| Swindon Village | 439 | 10 | 449 | 97.8% |
| St Pauls | 318 | 24 | 342 | 93.0% |
| Warden Hill | 314 | 13 | 327 | 96.0% |
| St Marks | 310 | 9 | 319 | 97.2% |
| St Peters | 282 | 31 | 313 | 90.1% |
| Up Hatherley | 291 | 18 | 309 | 94.2% |
| Oakley | 237 | 14 | 251 | 94.4% |
| Springbank | 171 | 14 | 185 | 92.4% |
| Hesters Way | 154 | 10 | 164 | 93.9% |
How Cheltenham’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 1.7pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Cheltenham council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00981/TPO Charlton Park | Five day notice for removal of dangerous twin stemmed hornbeam at rear of 24 Bel | Approved |
| 26/00651/FUL College | Proposed alterations to re-instate flat and house as a single residence, replace | Approved |
| 26/00559/FUL Leckhampton | Proposed single storey extension to rear. | Approved |
| 26/00185/FUL Park | Demolition of two storey dwelling and separate garage and the construction of 6 | Approved |
| 26/00688/FUL Prestbury | Remove conservatory, single storey extension to side of property. | Approved |
| 26/00342/FUL Prestbury | Construction of three dwellings and associated access, landscaping and associate | Approved |
| 26/00791/FUL Warden Hill | Two storey side extension and single storey rear extension, with internal altera | Approved |
| 26/00666/FUL Pittville | Loft conversion and alterations. | Approved |
| 26/00645/FUL Battledown | Proposed new dwelling. | Approved |
| 26/00505/FUL Charlton Park | Demolition of conservatory and erection of single storey rear extension. | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Cheltenham's 14,041 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Cheltenham's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Cheltenham'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 Cheltenham. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 14,041 real decisions from Cheltenham 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 Cheltenham'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 14,041 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Cheltenham is 96.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 14,041 planning decisions from Cheltenham council. 13,478 were approved and 563 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Cheltenham is 96.0%, 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 Cheltenham? 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.