Cheshire West & Chester planning approval rate
Cheshire West & Chester council approved 91.9% of planning applications and refused 8.1%, based on 17,272 decisions analysed. Ranked 165th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
91.9%
overall approval rate
17,272
Decisions analysed
15,871
Approved
1,401
Refused
49
Wards covered
Planning in Cheshire West & Chester? 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 Cheshire West & Chester. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
91.6%
95.6%
87.5%
92.5%
96.6%
89.9%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Cheshire West & Chester, mined from 17,272 proposal descriptions.
96.9%
91.2%
94.5%
91.9%
91.6%
78.9%
97.3%
93.1%
94.0%
96.9%
96.2%
90.4%
98.6%
83.8%
97.5%
92.3%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Cheshire West & Chester. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Chester City and The Garden Quarter
93.4%
Weaver And Cuddington
89.2%
Marbury
89.8%
Tarvin And Kelsall
90.1%
Christleton and Huntington
93.3%
Handbridge Park
94.4%
Gowy Rural
91.1%
Newton and Hoole
94.8%
Tarporley
91.3%
Tattenhall
90.3%
Willaston And Thornton
88.1%
Sandstone
89.9%
Saughall And Mollington
90.0%
Frodsham
93.4%
Hartford And Greenbank
91.9%
Malpas
92.3%
Great Boughton
93.4%
Upton
95.3%
Shakerley
85.7%
Farndon
92.4%
Wards in Cheshire West & Chester
Chester City and The Garden Quarter
93.4% approval · 1,242 decisions
Weaver And Cuddington
89.2% approval · 928 decisions
Marbury
89.8% approval · 862 decisions
Tarvin And Kelsall
90.1% approval · 837 decisions
Christleton and Huntington
93.3% approval · 808 decisions
Handbridge Park
94.4% approval · 682 decisions
Gowy Rural
91.1% approval · 664 decisions
Newton and Hoole
94.8% approval · 614 decisions
Tarporley
91.3% approval · 575 decisions
Tattenhall
90.3% approval · 566 decisions
Willaston And Thornton
88.1% approval · 555 decisions
Sandstone
89.9% approval · 517 decisions
Saughall And Mollington
90.0% approval · 509 decisions
Frodsham
93.4% approval · 498 decisions
Hartford And Greenbank
91.9% approval · 495 decisions
Malpas
92.3% approval · 453 decisions
Great Boughton
93.4% approval · 452 decisions
Upton
95.3% approval · 447 decisions
Shakerley
85.7% approval · 441 decisions
Farndon
92.4% approval · 396 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Cheshire West & Chester, showing how the council decides real applications.
Application of external grey render to existing brickwork to the side and corner · Winsford Dene · Fri 07 Aug 2026
Demolition of existing conservatory to north elevation to be replaced with orang · Parkgate · Fri 07 Aug 2026
Two storey side and rear extensions, replacement porch, installation of bay roof · Malpas · Thu 06 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Cheshire West & Chester, 1 in 12 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 Cheshire West & Chester
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Cheshire West & Chester →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Cheshire West & Chester
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 17,272 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Cheshire West & Chester
What is the planning approval rate in Cheshire West & Chester?
Based on 17,272 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Cheshire West & Chester approved 91.9% of applications and refused 8.1%. The council is ranked 165th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Cheshire West & Chester?
Cheshire West & Chester refuses 8.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 12. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 17,272 decided applications since 2020, 1,401 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Cheshire West & Chester have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Cheshire West & Chester are in Wolverham (98.5%), Strawberry (97.7%), and Westminster (97.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Cheshire West & Chester?
The most common planning application types in Cheshire West & Chester are: Full (9,101 decisions, 91.6% approved), Discharge of Conditions (2,044, 95.6%), and Other (1,996, 87.5%).
How long does a planning application take in Cheshire West & Chester?
Planning applications in Cheshire West & Chester take an average of 17.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,190 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than 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. Cheshire West & Chester decides approximately 2,879 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Cheshire West & Chester?
You can search planning applications in Cheshire West & Chester directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 17,272 historical decisions in Cheshire West & Chester to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Cheshire West & Chester calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Cheshire West & Chester'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.