Cheltenham Council approves 95.4% of planning applications, based on 8,376 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Cheltenham sits 10.4 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 8,376 decisions on record (January 2018 to October 2026), the overall approval rate in Cheltenham is 95.4%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Cheltenham council planning portal records · Data to 2 October 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
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 | 7,192 | 336 | 7,528 | 95.5% |
| Other | 3,233 | 29 | 3,262 | 99.1% |
| Listed Building | 1,677 | 62 | 1,739 | 96.4% |
| Trees | 762 | 29 | 791 | 96.3% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 426 | 17 | 443 | 96.2% |
| Advertisement | 367 | 37 | 404 | 90.8% |
| Change of Use | 117 | 5 | 122 | 95.9% |
| Prior Approval | 86 | 23 | 109 | 78.9% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 0 | 43 | 43 | 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 | 1,534 | 68 | 1,602 | 95.8% |
| Park | 1,551 | 40 | 1,591 | 97.5% |
| College | 1,459 | 46 | 1,505 | 96.9% |
| All Saints | 971 | 50 | 1,021 | 95.1% |
| Pittville | 972 | 33 | 1,005 | 96.7% |
| Leckhampton | 976 | 26 | 1,002 | 97.4% |
| Charlton Park | 932 | 28 | 960 | 97.1% |
| Charlton Kings | 879 | 33 | 912 | 96.4% |
| Prestbury | 834 | 33 | 867 | 96.2% |
| Battledown | 658 | 50 | 708 | 92.9% |
| Benhall/The Reddings/Fiddlers Green | 473 | 26 | 499 | 94.8% |
| Swindon Village | 460 | 10 | 470 | 97.9% |
| St Pauls | 327 | 24 | 351 | 93.2% |
| Warden Hill | 331 | 13 | 344 | 96.2% |
| St Marks | 318 | 9 | 327 | 97.2% |
| St Peters | 291 | 33 | 324 | 89.8% |
| Up Hatherley | 296 | 18 | 314 | 94.3% |
| Oakley | 243 | 14 | 257 | 94.6% |
| Springbank | 173 | 14 | 187 | 92.5% |
| Hesters Way | 156 | 10 | 166 | 94.0% |
How Cheltenham’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.9pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01541/CACN All Saints | To fell to ground level and remove dead Ash tree (T1) in rear garden | Approved |
| 26/01488/CACN Warden Hill | 1. Two blue Lawson Cypress and small Elder on the side boundary. Fell by section | Approved |
| 26/01441/FUL Battledown | Erection of first floor rear extension on stilts with associated balcony and fen | Approved |
| 26/01433/FUL Charlton Kings | Proposed two storey and single storey side/rear extension to include removal of | Approved |
| 26/01276/FUL Springbank | Side extensions on both sides, porch extension, garage extension and replacement | Approved |
| 26/00912/FUL Warden Hill | Removal of existing conservatory, with replacement of single storey extension. | Approved |
| 26/01476/CACN Lansdown | Willow, Salix tortuosa at the front of 7 Lansdown Terrace in the centre of the p | Approved |
| 26/01251/FUL St Pauls | Proposed single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/01202/FUL Prestbury | Single storey rear extension, insertion of three rear windows at first floor and | Approved |
| 26/01059/FUL Charlton Kings | Proposed driveway and dropped kerb. | 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 8,376 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 8,376 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 8,376 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Cheltenham is 95.4%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 8,376 planning decisions from Cheltenham council. 7,990 were approved and 386 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2018 to October 2026.
The average approval rate in Cheltenham is 95.4%, 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.