Cheltenham planning approval rate
Cheltenham council approved 96.0% of planning applications and refused 4.0%, based on 14,041 decisions analysed. Ranked 249th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
96.0%
overall approval rate
14,041
Decisions analysed
13,478
Approved
563
Refused
20
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.
95.6%
99.1%
96.5%
96.5%
96.0%
90.9%
95.9%
78.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Cheltenham, mined from 14,041 proposal descriptions.
98.0%
95.9%
96.8%
96.2%
96.2%
96.0%
99.2%
92.7%
87.4%
96.8%
97.5%
96.5%
91.6%
96.0%
89.3%
84.6%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Cheltenham. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Lansdown
95.8%
Park
97.5%
College
97.0%
All Saints
95.3%
Leckhampton
97.4%
Pittville
96.6%
Charlton Park
97.0%
Charlton Kings
96.3%
Prestbury
96.3%
Battledown
92.9%
Benhall/The Reddings/Fiddlers Green
94.8%
Swindon Village
97.8%
St Pauls
93.0%
Warden Hill
96.0%
St Marks
97.2%
St Peters
90.1%
Up Hatherley
94.2%
Oakley
94.4%
Springbank
92.4%
Hesters Way
93.9%
Wards in Cheltenham
Lansdown
95.8% approval · 1,558 decisions
Park
97.5% approval · 1,549 decisions
College
97.0% approval · 1,469 decisions
All Saints
95.3% approval · 988 decisions
Leckhampton
97.4% approval · 978 decisions
Pittville
96.6% approval · 968 decisions
Charlton Park
97.0% approval · 939 decisions
Charlton Kings
96.3% approval · 887 decisions
Prestbury
96.3% approval · 842 decisions
Battledown
92.9% approval · 691 decisions
Benhall/The Reddings/Fiddlers Green
94.8% approval · 484 decisions
Swindon Village
97.8% approval · 449 decisions
St Pauls
93.0% approval · 342 decisions
Warden Hill
96.0% approval · 327 decisions
St Marks
97.2% approval · 319 decisions
St Peters
90.1% approval · 313 decisions
Up Hatherley
94.2% approval · 309 decisions
Oakley
94.4% approval · 251 decisions
Springbank
92.4% approval · 185 decisions
Hesters Way
93.9% approval · 164 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Cheltenham, showing how the council decides real applications.
Five day notice for removal of dangerous twin stemmed hornbeam at rear of 24 Bel · Charlton Park · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Proposed alterations to re-instate flat and house as a single residence, replace · College · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Proposed single storey extension to rear. · Leckhampton · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Cheltenham, 1 in 25 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis 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
Free planning check for Cheltenham →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Cheltenham
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 14,041 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Cheltenham
What is the planning approval rate in Cheltenham?
Based on 14,041 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Cheltenham approved 96.0% of applications and refused 4.0%. The council is ranked 249th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Cheltenham?
Cheltenham refuses 4.0% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 25. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 14,041 decided applications since 2020, 563 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Cheltenham have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Cheltenham are in Swindon Village (97.8%), Park (97.5%), and Leckhampton (97.4%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Cheltenham?
The most common planning application types in Cheltenham are: Full (7,358 decisions, 95.6% approved), Other (3,145, 99.1%), and Listed Building (1,700, 96.5%).
How long does a planning application take in Cheltenham?
Planning applications in Cheltenham take an average of 6.6 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 14,034 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is inside the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Cheltenham decides approximately 2,340 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Cheltenham?
You can search planning applications in Cheltenham directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 14,041 historical decisions in Cheltenham to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Cheltenham calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Cheltenham's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.