Forest of Dean Council approves 88.7% of planning applications, based on 4,347 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Forest of Dean sits 3.7 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 889 decided applications, Forest of Dean Council approved 92.9% of planning applications in 2025. Across 4,347 decisions on record (January 2020 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Forest of Dean is 88.7%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Forest of Dean council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Forest of Dean.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 3,497 | 369 | 3,866 | 90.5% |
| Trees | 819 | 14 | 833 | 98.3% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 728 | 18 | 746 | 97.6% |
| Other | 308 | 90 | 398 | 77.4% |
| Listed Building | 287 | 20 | 307 | 93.5% |
| Change of Use | 170 | 3 | 173 | 98.3% |
| Prior Approval | 52 | 33 | 85 | 61.2% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 24 | 42 | 66 | 36.4% |
| Advertisement | 40 | 3 | 43 | 93.0% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartpury & Redmarley | 688 | 95 | 783 | 87.9% |
| Newnham | 550 | 39 | 589 | 93.4% |
| Newent & Taynton | 454 | 45 | 499 | 91.0% |
| Longhope & Huntley | 433 | 43 | 476 | 91.0% |
| Tidenham | 383 | 42 | 425 | 90.1% |
| Mitcheldean, Ruardean & Drybrook | 360 | 47 | 407 | 88.5% |
| St Briavels | 341 | 26 | 367 | 92.9% |
| Coleford | 331 | 25 | 356 | 93.0% |
| Westbury-on-Severn | 263 | 38 | 301 | 87.4% |
| Dymock | 256 | 40 | 296 | 86.5% |
| Newland & Sling | 265 | 18 | 283 | 93.6% |
| Lydney East | 259 | 15 | 274 | 94.5% |
| Bream | 231 | 28 | 259 | 89.2% |
| Berry Hill | 224 | 14 | 238 | 94.1% |
| Pillowell | 172 | 15 | 187 | 92.0% |
| Cinderford West | 158 | 8 | 166 | 95.2% |
| Lydney West & Aylburton | 152 | 8 | 160 | 95.0% |
| Cinderford East | 146 | 13 | 159 | 91.8% |
| Lydbrook | 119 | 14 | 133 | 89.5% |
| Ruspidge | 70 | 11 | 81 | 86.4% |
| Lydney North | 61 | 7 | 68 | 89.7% |
How Forest of Dean’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 4.3pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Forest of Dean council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| P0213/26/FUL Lydbrook | Erection of a self-build dwelling and associated works | Approved |
| P0934/26/FUL Newent & Taynton | Erection of single storey side extension to provide ground floor bedroom and liv | Approved |
| P0939/26/FUL Dymock | Erection of a detached car port with studio space above, to replace existing car | Approved |
| P0926/26/FUL Westbury-on-Severn | Erection of a general purpose agricultural storage building | Approved |
| P0930/26/FUL Tidenham | Erection of single storey side extension to storage building to provide addition | Approved |
| P0916/26/FUL Coleford | Rear single-storey extension | Approved |
| P0895/26/FUL Dymock | Erection of a self-build dwelling to replace existing dwelling, with associated | Approved |
| P0887/26/FUL Tidenham | Erection of a single storey rear extension, new dormer window to front elevation | Approved |
| P0853/26/FUL Newent & Taynton | Erection of a single storey side extension with associated works. | Approved |
| P0515/26/FUL Lydbrook | Demolition of existing glass conservatory and outbuilding. Erection of new flat | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Forest of Dean's 4,347 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Forest of Dean's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Forest of Dean's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Forest of Dean. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 4,347 real decisions from Forest of Dean council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Forest of Dean's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 4,347 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Forest of Dean is 88.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 4,347 planning decisions from Forest of Dean council. 3,855 were approved and 492 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Forest of Dean is 88.7%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Forest of Dean? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.