Coventry planning approval rate
Coventry council approved 83.9% of planning applications and refused 16.1%, based on 2,668 decisions analysed. Ranked 37th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
83.9%
overall approval rate
2,668
Decisions analysed
2,238
Approved
430
Refused
19
Wards covered
Planning in Coventry? 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 Coventry. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
81.5%
90.2%
94.7%
94.7%
57.5%
67.2%
83.3%
54.5%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Coventry, mined from 2,668 proposal descriptions.
83.1%
87.7%
91.3%
82.4%
79.8%
69.0%
84.7%
85.3%
90.2%
95.1%
93.7%
89.3%
90.3%
93.3%
100.0%
94.4%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Coventry. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Earlsdon
92.7%
St. Michael's
78.3%
Bablake
84.6%
Wainbody
89.9%
Westwood
84.0%
Sherbourne
86.7%
Cheylesmore
86.6%
Lower Stoke
84.2%
Longford
84.3%
Upper Stoke
79.0%
Woodlands
92.3%
Foleshill
73.0%
Radford
81.6%
Holbrook
77.7%
Whoberley
77.2%
Wyken
86.0%
Henley
78.0%
Binley and Willenhall
87.5%
Wards in Coventry
Earlsdon
92.7% approval · 287 decisions
St. Michael's
78.3% approval · 286 decisions
Bablake
84.6% approval · 253 decisions
Wainbody
89.9% approval · 178 decisions
Westwood
84.0% approval · 156 decisions
Sherbourne
86.7% approval · 143 decisions
Cheylesmore
86.6% approval · 142 decisions
Lower Stoke
84.2% approval · 139 decisions
Longford
84.3% approval · 127 decisions
Upper Stoke
79.0% approval · 119 decisions
Woodlands
92.3% approval · 117 decisions
Foleshill
73.0% approval · 115 decisions
Radford
81.6% approval · 114 decisions
Holbrook
77.7% approval · 112 decisions
Whoberley
77.2% approval · 101 decisions
Wyken
86.0% approval · 86 decisions
Henley
78.0% approval · 82 decisions
Binley and Willenhall
87.5% approval · 64 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Coventry, showing how the council decides real applications.
Application under Prior Approval for single storey rear extension. The extension · Radford · 2026-08-10
Lawful Development Certificate for proposed dormer · Sherbourne · 2026-08-10
Lawful Development Certificate for proposed dormer on side and rear slopes of ro · Holbrook · 2026-08-10
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Coventry, 1 in 6 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 Coventry
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Coventry →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Coventry
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 2,668 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Coventry
What is the planning approval rate in Coventry?
Based on 2,668 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Coventry approved 83.9% of applications and refused 16.1%. The council is ranked 37th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Coventry?
Coventry refuses 16.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 6. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 2,668 decided applications since 2020, 430 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Coventry have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Coventry are in Earlsdon (92.7%), Woodlands (92.3%), and Wainbody (89.9%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Coventry?
The most common planning application types in Coventry are: Other (1,162 decisions, 81.5% approved), Full (584, 90.2%), and Discharge of Conditions (304, 94.7%).
How long does a planning application take in Coventry?
Most planning applications in Coventry are decided within 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments, the statutory targets set by central government. With 2,668 decisions analysed since 2020, Coventry processes approximately 445 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Coventry?
You can search planning applications in Coventry directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 2,668 historical decisions in Coventry to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Coventry calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Coventry'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.