Coventry planning approval rate
Coventry council approved 84.4% of planning applications and refused 15.6%, based on 2,372 decisions analysed. Ranked 42nd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
84.4%
overall approval rate
2,372
Decisions analysed
2,001
Approved
371
Refused
18
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.
82.0%
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 2,372 proposal descriptions.
84.1%
87.9%
92.7%
83.3%
80.8%
85.6%
71.1%
85.0%
90.0%
95.5%
94.4%
89.4%
93.3%
92.3%
100.0%
94.1%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Coventry. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
St. Michael's
79.9%
Earlsdon
92.9%
Bablake
84.4%
Wainbody
91.0%
Westwood
83.8%
Lower Stoke
83.2%
Cheylesmore
86.6%
Sherbourne
87.3%
Longford
87.2%
Upper Stoke
77.5%
Woodlands
92.5%
Radford
80.2%
Foleshill
75.5%
Holbrook
76.3%
Whoberley
75.9%
Wyken
89.2%
Henley
79.2%
Binley and Willenhall
89.5%
Wards in Coventry
St. Michael's
79.9% approval · 264 decisions
Earlsdon
92.9% approval · 253 decisions
Bablake
84.4% approval · 225 decisions
Wainbody
91.0% approval · 156 decisions
Westwood
83.8% approval · 154 decisions
Lower Stoke
83.2% approval · 131 decisions
Cheylesmore
86.6% approval · 119 decisions
Sherbourne
87.3% approval · 118 decisions
Longford
87.2% approval · 117 decisions
Upper Stoke
77.5% approval · 111 decisions
Woodlands
92.5% approval · 106 decisions
Radford
80.2% approval · 101 decisions
Foleshill
75.5% approval · 98 decisions
Holbrook
76.3% approval · 93 decisions
Whoberley
75.9% approval · 87 decisions
Wyken
89.2% approval · 74 decisions
Henley
79.2% approval · 72 decisions
Binley and Willenhall
89.5% approval · 57 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 · St. Michael's · 2026-06-29
Erection of a single storey rear extension and erection of attached garage to si · Earlsdon · 2026-06-29
Change of use from student accommodation to 7no HMO's and 1no self contained stu · St. Michael's · 2026-06-29
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 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 2,372 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Coventry
What is the planning approval rate in Coventry?
Based on 2,372 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Coventry approved 84.4% of applications and refused 15.6%. The council is ranked 42nd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Coventry?
Coventry refuses 15.6% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 6. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 2,372 decided applications since 2020, 371 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 (92.9%), Woodlands (92.5%), and Wainbody (91.0%). 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 (866 decisions, 82.0% 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 2,372 decisions analysed since 2020, Coventry processes approximately 395 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 2,372 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.