Cotswold planning approval rate
Cotswold council approved 95.6% of planning applications and refused 4.4%, based on 24,525 decisions analysed. Ranked 254th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
95.6%
overall approval rate
24,525
Decisions analysed
23,444
Approved
1,081
Refused
32
Wards covered
Planning in Cotswold? 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 Cotswold. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
93.6%
99.7%
98.6%
94.6%
90.4%
90.2%
88.1%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Cotswold, mined from 24,525 proposal descriptions.
94.6%
95.6%
94.7%
97.0%
90.0%
96.0%
92.5%
98.3%
95.0%
95.1%
94.1%
95.7%
96.4%
83.3%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Cotswold. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Campden & Vale
96.2%
Coln Valley
96.7%
Fosseridge
95.4%
Bourton Vale
94.5%
Ermin
94.6%
Lechlade, Kempsford & Fairford South
94.8%
Kemble
96.9%
Sandywell
95.5%
The Ampneys & Hampton
94.8%
Grumbolds Ash With Avening
96.6%
Blockley
95.4%
Chedworth & Churn Valley
94.1%
The Rissingtons
94.2%
Stow
95.5%
Northleach
95.2%
Tetbury East & Rural
95.7%
Siddington & Cerney Rural
94.1%
Abbey
99.0%
St Michaels
96.9%
Tetbury With Upton
95.9%
Wards in Cotswold
Campden & Vale
96.2% approval · 1,716 decisions
Coln Valley
96.7% approval · 1,605 decisions
Fosseridge
95.4% approval · 1,523 decisions
Bourton Vale
94.5% approval · 1,402 decisions
Ermin
94.6% approval · 1,234 decisions
Lechlade, Kempsford & Fairford South
94.8% approval · 1,222 decisions
Kemble
96.9% approval · 1,182 decisions
Sandywell
95.5% approval · 1,180 decisions
The Ampneys & Hampton
94.8% approval · 1,140 decisions
Grumbolds Ash With Avening
96.6% approval · 1,054 decisions
Blockley
95.4% approval · 1,011 decisions
Chedworth & Churn Valley
94.1% approval · 987 decisions
The Rissingtons
94.2% approval · 855 decisions
Stow
95.5% approval · 839 decisions
Northleach
95.2% approval · 805 decisions
Tetbury East & Rural
95.7% approval · 736 decisions
Siddington & Cerney Rural
94.1% approval · 733 decisions
Abbey
99.0% approval · 691 decisions
St Michaels
96.9% approval · 572 decisions
Tetbury With Upton
95.9% approval · 560 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Cotswold, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of equestrian buildings (retrospective) · Northleach · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Removal of existing stone roof covering to existing lean to and replacement with · Northleach · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Removal of existing stone roof covering to existing lean to and replacement with · Northleach · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Cotswold, 1 in 23 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 Cotswold
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Cotswold →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Cotswold
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 24,525 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Cotswold
What is the planning approval rate in Cotswold?
Based on 24,525 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Cotswold approved 95.6% of applications and refused 4.4%. The council is ranked 254th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Cotswold?
Cotswold refuses 4.4% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 23. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 24,525 decided applications since 2020, 1,081 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Cotswold have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Cotswold are in Abbey (99.0%), Fairford North (98.4%), and Moreton West (97.2%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Cotswold?
The most common planning application types in Cotswold are: Full (9,760 decisions, 93.6% approved), Trees (6,792, 99.7%), and Discharge of Conditions (2,950, 98.6%).
How long does a planning application take in Cotswold?
Planning applications in Cotswold take an average of 10.2 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 24,400 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. Cotswold decides approximately 4,088 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Cotswold?
You can search planning applications in Cotswold directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 24,525 historical decisions in Cotswold to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Cotswold calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Cotswold'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.