Cheltenham planning approval rate
Cheltenham council approved 96.0% of planning applications and refused 4.0%, based on 14,292 decisions analysed. Ranked 257th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
96.0%
overall approval rate
14,292
Decisions analysed
13,717
Approved
575
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.
95.5%
99.1%
96.4%
96.4%
96.1%
90.8%
95.9%
78.9%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Cheltenham, mined from 14,292 proposal descriptions.
98.0%
95.9%
96.9%
96.3%
96.2%
96.0%
99.2%
92.8%
87.6%
96.3%
97.6%
96.5%
91.9%
96.0%
89.3%
85.2%
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
95.0%
Leckhampton
97.4%
Pittville
96.7%
Charlton Park
97.1%
Charlton Kings
96.3%
Prestbury
96.3%
Battledown
93.0%
Benhall/The Reddings/Fiddlers Green
95.0%
Swindon Village
97.8%
St Pauls
93.0%
Warden Hill
96.1%
St Marks
97.2%
St Peters
90.1%
Up Hatherley
94.2%
Oakley
94.5%
Springbank
92.5%
Hesters Way
93.9%
Wards in Cheltenham
Lansdown
95.8% approval · 1,587 decisions
Park
97.5% approval · 1,575 decisions
College
97.0% approval · 1,492 decisions
All Saints
95.0% approval · 1,009 decisions
Leckhampton
97.4% approval · 993 decisions
Pittville
96.7% approval · 992 decisions
Charlton Park
97.1% approval · 952 decisions
Charlton Kings
96.3% approval · 901 decisions
Prestbury
96.3% approval · 861 decisions
Battledown
93.0% approval · 698 decisions
Benhall/The Reddings/Fiddlers Green
95.0% approval · 496 decisions
Swindon Village
97.8% approval · 461 decisions
St Pauls
93.0% approval · 345 decisions
Warden Hill
96.1% approval · 336 decisions
St Marks
97.2% approval · 325 decisions
St Peters
90.1% approval · 322 decisions
Up Hatherley
94.2% approval · 312 decisions
Oakley
94.5% approval · 255 decisions
Springbank
92.5% approval · 186 decisions
Hesters Way
93.9% approval · 165 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Cheltenham, showing how the council decides real applications.
Single storey side and rear extension, and alterations. · Warden Hill · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Extension to the Oncology Department including demolition of the modern structur · College · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Extension to the Oncology Department including demolition of the modern structur · College · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more 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 14,292 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Cheltenham
What is the planning approval rate in Cheltenham?
Based on 14,292 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Cheltenham approved 96.0% of applications and refused 4.0%. The council is ranked 257th out of 292 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 11.4%. Out of 14,292 decided applications since 2020, 575 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 (7,465 decisions, 95.5% approved), Other (3,212, 99.1%), and Listed Building (1,730, 96.4%).
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 14,285 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 2,382 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 14,292 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.