Cheltenham planning approval rate

Cheltenham council approved 95.9% of planning applications and refused 4.1%, based on 13,600 decisions analysed. Ranked 197th out of 221 councils for strictness.

Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

95.9%

overall approval rate

13,600

Decisions analysed

13,047

Approved

553

Refused

Wards covered

Planning in Cheltenham? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.

Approval rate by application type

Different application types have different approval rates in Cheltenham. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.

Full (7,140 decided)

95.5%

Other (3,017 decided)

99.1%

Listed Building (1,658 decided)

96.5%

Trees (725 decided)

96.7%

Discharge of Conditions (412 decided)

95.9%

Advertisement (378 decided)

90.5%

Change of Use (122 decided)

95.9%

Prior Approval (107 decided)

78.5%

Certificate of Lawfulness (41 decided)

0.0%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Cheltenham — mined from 13,600 proposal descriptions.

Rear Extension (2,399 decided)

98.0%

Garage / Parking (1,811 decided)

95.7%

Side Extension (1,309 decided)

96.9%

Extension (General) (1,224 decided)

96.2%

Dormer (568 decided)

96.1%

Outbuilding (550 decided)

96.0%

Change of Use (Residential) (483 decided)

94.6%

Conservatory (473 decided)

99.2%

Loft Conversion (404 decided)

92.6%

New Build (363 decided)

87.1%

Basement (333 decided)

96.7%

Wraparound Extension (274 decided)

97.8%

Front Extension (223 decided)

96.4%

Annex (130 decided)

91.5%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (98 decided)

95.9%

Flat Conversion (28 decided)

89.3%

HMO (24 decided)

87.5%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Cheltenham. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

Park (1,508 decided)

97.5%

Lansdown (1,508 decided)

95.8%

College (1,434 decided)

96.9%

All Saints (957 decided)

95.2%

Pittville (940 decided)

96.8%

Leckhampton (940 decided)

97.3%

Charlton Park (906 decided)

97.0%

Charlton Kings (860 decided)

96.2%

Prestbury (813 decided)

96.2%

Battledown (670 decided)

92.8%

Benhall/The Reddings/Fiddlers Green (470 decided)

94.7%

Swindon Village (439 decided)

97.7%

St Pauls (331 decided)

93.1%

St Marks (310 decided)

97.4%

Warden Hill (303 decided)

95.7%

Up Hatherley (302 decided)

94.0%

St Peters (301 decided)

89.7%

Oakley (236 decided)

94.5%

Springbank (182 decided)

92.9%

Hesters Way (161 decided)

93.8%

Wards in Cheltenham

Park

97.5% approval · 1,508 decisions

Lansdown

95.8% approval · 1,508 decisions

College

96.9% approval · 1,434 decisions

All Saints

95.2% approval · 957 decisions

Pittville

96.8% approval · 940 decisions

Leckhampton

97.3% approval · 940 decisions

Charlton Park

97.0% approval · 906 decisions

Charlton Kings

96.2% approval · 860 decisions

Prestbury

96.2% approval · 813 decisions

Battledown

92.8% approval · 670 decisions

Benhall/The Reddings/Fiddlers Green

94.7% approval · 470 decisions

Swindon Village

97.7% approval · 439 decisions

St Pauls

93.1% approval · 331 decisions

St Marks

97.4% approval · 310 decisions

Warden Hill

95.7% approval · 303 decisions

Up Hatherley

94.0% approval · 302 decisions

St Peters

89.7% approval · 301 decisions

Oakley

94.5% approval · 236 decisions

Springbank

92.9% approval · 182 decisions

Hesters Way

93.8% approval · 161 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Cheltenham, showing how the council decides real applications.

26/00143/FUL

Single storey rear extension. · Leckhampton · Wed 04 Mar 2026

Approved

26/00043/LBC

Replacement of 2no. casement windows on the east elevation and 1no. casement win · Charlton Kings · Wed 04 Mar 2026

Approved

26/00136/FUL

Construction of detached garage forward of principal elevation. · Charlton Kings · Tue 03 Mar 2026

Approved

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Cheltenham, 1 in 24 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:

✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Cheltenham
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Get Cheltenham Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 13,600 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

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