Cotswold planning approval rate
Cotswold council approved 95.7% of planning applications and refused 4.3%, based on 24,038 decisions analysed. Ranked 246th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
95.7%
overall approval rate
24,038
Decisions analysed
22,993
Approved
1,045
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%
90.6%
90.1%
89.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Cotswold, mined from 24,038 proposal descriptions.
94.6%
95.6%
94.7%
97.1%
90.1%
96.0%
92.9%
98.6%
94.9%
95.1%
94.8%
95.6%
96.3%
82.1%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Cotswold. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Campden & Vale
96.2%
Coln Valley
96.9%
Fosseridge
95.6%
Bourton Vale
94.5%
Ermin
94.7%
Lechlade, Kempsford & Fairford South
94.9%
Kemble
96.8%
Sandywell
95.6%
The Ampneys & Hampton
94.9%
Grumbolds Ash With Avening
96.6%
Blockley
95.2%
Chedworth & Churn Valley
94.1%
The Rissingtons
94.1%
Stow
95.5%
Northleach
95.1%
Tetbury East & Rural
96.0%
Siddington & Cerney Rural
94.1%
Abbey
99.0%
St Michaels
96.8%
Tetbury With Upton
96.0%
Wards in Cotswold
Campden & Vale
96.2% approval · 1,693 decisions
Coln Valley
96.9% approval · 1,573 decisions
Fosseridge
95.6% approval · 1,493 decisions
Bourton Vale
94.5% approval · 1,369 decisions
Ermin
94.7% approval · 1,216 decisions
Lechlade, Kempsford & Fairford South
94.9% approval · 1,198 decisions
Kemble
96.8% approval · 1,161 decisions
Sandywell
95.6% approval · 1,159 decisions
The Ampneys & Hampton
94.9% approval · 1,106 decisions
Grumbolds Ash With Avening
96.6% approval · 1,034 decisions
Blockley
95.2% approval · 987 decisions
Chedworth & Churn Valley
94.1% approval · 969 decisions
The Rissingtons
94.1% approval · 843 decisions
Stow
95.5% approval · 822 decisions
Northleach
95.1% approval · 788 decisions
Tetbury East & Rural
96.0% approval · 718 decisions
Siddington & Cerney Rural
94.1% approval · 710 decisions
Abbey
99.0% approval · 684 decisions
St Michaels
96.8% approval · 558 decisions
Tetbury With Upton
96.0% approval · 550 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Cotswold, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of two-storey front, side and rear extension, erection of detached doub · Campden & Vale · Fri 19 Jun 2026
Erection of 2 outbuildings · Northleach · Fri 19 Jun 2026
Proposed conversion of a barn to form a self-build dwelling and associated works · Fosseridge · Fri 19 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 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 24,038 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Cotswold
What is the planning approval rate in Cotswold?
Based on 24,038 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Cotswold approved 95.7% of applications and refused 4.3%. The council is ranked 246th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Cotswold?
Cotswold refuses 4.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 23. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 24,038 decided applications since 2020, 1,045 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 (98.6%), and Moreton West (97.1%). 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 (9,598 decisions, 93.6% approved), Trees (6,650, 99.7%), and Discharge of Conditions (2,875, 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 23,913 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 4,006 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 24,038 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.