Forest of Dean planning approval rate
Forest of Dean council approved 90.8% of planning applications and refused 9.2%, based on 6,389 decisions analysed. Ranked 144th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
90.8%
overall approval rate
6,389
Decisions analysed
5,803
Approved
586
Refused
21
Wards covered
Planning in Forest of Dean? 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 Forest of Dean. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
90.4%
98.3%
97.7%
77.0%
93.8%
98.2%
60.7%
92.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Forest of Dean, mined from 6,389 proposal descriptions.
89.0%
93.3%
95.8%
83.2%
97.3%
91.6%
89.4%
96.1%
93.1%
98.8%
98.2%
100.0%
83.3%
90.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Forest of Dean. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Hartpury & Redmarley
87.9%
Newnham
93.3%
Newent & Taynton
90.9%
Longhope & Huntley
90.7%
Tidenham
90.1%
Mitcheldean, Ruardean & Drybrook
88.1%
St Briavels
92.7%
Coleford
92.9%
Westbury-on-Severn
88.0%
Dymock
86.2%
Newland & Sling
93.5%
Lydney East
94.5%
Bream
89.0%
Berry Hill
94.1%
Pillowell
91.8%
Cinderford West
95.1%
Lydney West & Aylburton
94.9%
Cinderford East
91.7%
Lydbrook
89.1%
Ruspidge
86.1%
Wards in Forest of Dean
Hartpury & Redmarley
87.9% approval · 766 decisions
Newnham
93.3% approval · 578 decisions
Newent & Taynton
90.9% approval · 494 decisions
Longhope & Huntley
90.7% approval · 464 decisions
Tidenham
90.1% approval · 415 decisions
Mitcheldean, Ruardean & Drybrook
88.1% approval · 396 decisions
St Briavels
92.7% approval · 356 decisions
Coleford
92.9% approval · 352 decisions
Westbury-on-Severn
88.0% approval · 292 decisions
Dymock
86.2% approval · 289 decisions
Newland & Sling
93.5% approval · 277 decisions
Lydney East
94.5% approval · 274 decisions
Bream
89.0% approval · 255 decisions
Berry Hill
94.1% approval · 237 decisions
Pillowell
91.8% approval · 184 decisions
Cinderford West
95.1% approval · 162 decisions
Lydney West & Aylburton
94.9% approval · 157 decisions
Cinderford East
91.7% approval · 157 decisions
Lydbrook
89.1% approval · 128 decisions
Ruspidge
86.1% approval · 79 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Forest of Dean, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of first floor front loft extension, addition of rear dormer, and assoc · Newnham · Wed 05 Aug 2026
Erection of a two-storey rear, and single-storey side, front and rear extensions · Berry Hill · Wed 05 Aug 2026
Two storey side extension · Newnham · Wed 05 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Forest of Dean, 1 in 11 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 Forest of Dean
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Forest of Dean →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Forest of Dean
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 6,389 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Forest of Dean
What is the planning approval rate in Forest of Dean?
Based on 6,389 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Forest of Dean approved 90.8% of applications and refused 9.2%. The council is ranked 144th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Forest of Dean?
Forest of Dean refuses 9.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 11. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 6,389 decided applications since 2020, 586 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Forest of Dean have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Forest of Dean are in Cinderford West (95.1%), Lydney West & Aylburton (94.9%), and Lydney East (94.5%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Forest of Dean?
The most common planning application types in Forest of Dean are: Full (3,799 decisions, 90.4% approved), Trees (810, 98.3%), and Discharge of Conditions (726, 97.7%).
How long does a planning application take in Forest of Dean?
Planning applications in Forest of Dean take an average of 11.9 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 6,359 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. Forest of Dean decides approximately 1,065 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Forest of Dean?
You can search planning applications in Forest of Dean directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 6,389 historical decisions in Forest of Dean to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Forest of Dean calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Forest of Dean'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.