Forest of Dean Council approves 90.6% of planning applications, based on 6,046 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Forest of Dean sits 2.7 percentage points above the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — 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 | 3,275 | 354 | 3,629 | 90.2% |
| Trees | 745 | 14 | 759 | 98.2% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 651 | 15 | 666 | 97.7% |
| Other | 282 | 90 | 372 | 75.8% |
| Listed Building | 268 | 19 | 287 | 93.4% |
| Change of Use | 147 | 2 | 149 | 98.7% |
| Prior Approval | 50 | 33 | 83 | 60.2% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 24 | 37 | 61 | 39.3% |
| Advertisement | 37 | 3 | 40 | 92.5% |
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.
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 | 636 | 90 | 726 | 87.6% |
| Newnham | 512 | 37 | 549 | 93.3% |
| Newent & Taynton | 422 | 44 | 466 | 90.6% |
| Longhope & Huntley | 393 | 39 | 432 | 91.0% |
| Tidenham | 350 | 41 | 391 | 89.5% |
| Mitcheldean, Ruardean & Drybrook | 336 | 46 | 382 | 88.0% |
| St Briavels | 317 | 26 | 343 | 92.4% |
| Coleford | 300 | 24 | 324 | 92.6% |
| Dymock | 240 | 39 | 279 | 86.0% |
| Westbury-on-Severn | 237 | 32 | 269 | 88.1% |
| Lydney East | 252 | 15 | 267 | 94.4% |
| Newland & Sling | 244 | 18 | 262 | 93.1% |
| Bream | 214 | 28 | 242 | 88.4% |
| Berry Hill | 206 | 14 | 220 | 93.6% |
| Pillowell | 160 | 14 | 174 | 92.0% |
| Cinderford West | 150 | 8 | 158 | 94.9% |
| Lydney West & Aylburton | 140 | 8 | 148 | 94.6% |
| Cinderford East | 130 | 12 | 142 | 91.5% |
| Lydbrook | 109 | 13 | 122 | 89.3% |
| Ruspidge | 64 | 11 | 75 | 85.3% |
| Lydney North | 58 | 7 | 65 | 89.2% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| P1323/25/FUL Longhope & Huntley | Erection of a new, single-storey residential building containing four self-conta | Approved |
| P1480/25/FUL Lydney North | Erection of a rear conservatory extension. | Approved |
| P1151/25/FUL Hartpury & Redmarley | Erection of a single storey rear extension, detached home office / guest bedroom | Approved |
| P1530/25/FUL Newland & Sling | Installation of replacement uPVC windows to dormer (Retrospective) | Approved |
| P1048/25/FUL Newland & Sling | Erection of a dwelling | Approved |
| P1175/24/FUL Lydney East | Proposed erection of 2 dwellings and associated works | Refused |
| P1064/25/FUL Coleford | Erection of a Class 7 MOT bay, workshop and preparation building for motorhome s | Approved |
| P1399/25/LBC Newnham | Internal alterations to Listed Building to create open plan Kitchen/Dining room | Approved |
| P1458/25/FUL Newnham | Erection of a single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| P1374/25/FUL Tidenham | Erection of single and two storey rear extensions with associated works | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro 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 6,046 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
Get My Pro Report — £79Compare 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:
Based on 6,046 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Forest of Dean is 90.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 6,046 planning decisions from Forest of Dean council. 5,479 were approved and 567 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Forest of Dean is 90.6%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.