Gateshead Council approves 92.8% of planning applications, based on 5,366 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Gateshead sits 7.8 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 713 decided applications, Gateshead Council approved 92.0% of planning applications in 2025. Across 5,366 decisions on record (January 2018 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Gateshead is 92.8%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Gateshead council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Gateshead.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 4,445 | 268 | 4,713 | 94.3% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 875 | 34 | 909 | 96.3% |
| Other | 600 | 65 | 665 | 90.2% |
| Trees | 346 | 9 | 355 | 97.5% |
| Change of Use | 308 | 47 | 355 | 86.8% |
| Advertisement | 292 | 38 | 330 | 88.5% |
| Listed Building | 156 | 6 | 162 | 96.3% |
| Prior Approval | 43 | 15 | 58 | 74.1% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 5 | 1 | 6 | 83.3% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridges | 607 | 38 | 645 | 94.1% |
| Lamesley | 510 | 29 | 539 | 94.6% |
| Whickham South And Sunniside | 486 | 33 | 519 | 93.6% |
| Low Fell | 462 | 40 | 502 | 92.0% |
| Dunston Hill And Whickham East | 442 | 38 | 480 | 92.1% |
| Ryton Crookhill And Stella | 394 | 21 | 415 | 94.9% |
| Whickham North | 393 | 21 | 414 | 94.9% |
| Lobley Hill And Bensham | 385 | 21 | 406 | 94.8% |
| Winlaton And High Spen | 377 | 27 | 404 | 93.3% |
| Blaydon | 361 | 30 | 391 | 92.3% |
| Crawcrook And Greenside | 336 | 32 | 368 | 91.3% |
| Chopwell And Rowlands Gill | 328 | 24 | 352 | 93.2% |
| Saltwell | 282 | 15 | 297 | 94.9% |
| Birtley | 255 | 23 | 278 | 91.7% |
| Pelaw And Heworth | 245 | 14 | 259 | 94.6% |
| Wardley And Leam Lane | 217 | 8 | 225 | 96.4% |
| Felling | 204 | 18 | 222 | 91.9% |
| Chowdene | 203 | 11 | 214 | 94.9% |
| High Fell | 167 | 9 | 176 | 94.9% |
| Dunston And Teams | 161 | 13 | 174 | 92.5% |
| Deckham | 142 | 5 | 147 | 96.6% |
| Windy Nook And Whitehills | 107 | 12 | 119 | 89.9% |
How Gateshead’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 4.2pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Gateshead council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| DC/26/00601/HHA Saltwell | Proposed ground floor rear extension with sukkah roof | Approved |
| DC/26/00266/HHA Winlaton And High Spen | Demolition of existing external access walkway, pier support and entrance porch. | Approved |
| DC/26/00098/FUL Dunston And Teams | Change of use from mixed use retail and cafe (sui generis) to restaurant (Use Cl | Approved |
| DC/25/01014/FUL Whickham North | Change of use of land at Whickham Glebe Sports Club including demolition of scor | Refused |
| DC/24/00509/HHALB Blaydon | Proposed construction of natural stone boundary wall to South-Westerly and North | Refused |
| DC/24/00510/LBC Blaydon | LISTED BUILDING CONSENT: Proposed construction of natural stone boundary wall to | Refused |
| DC/26/00545/ADV Bridges | Replacement of existing doubled sided poster display with double sided D6 small | Approved |
| DC/26/00674/DEM Pelaw And Heworth | DETERMINATION OF PRIOR APPROVAL: Demolition of defunct chimney | Approved |
| DC/26/00572/HHA Whickham North | Two storey rear extension, joined to a first floor side extension and a new porc | Approved |
| DC/26/00573/HHA Dunston Hill And Whickham East | Single storey front extension and two storey side/rear extension. | 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 Gateshead's 5,366 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Gateshead's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Gateshead'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 Gateshead. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 5,366 real decisions from Gateshead 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 Gateshead'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 5,366 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Gateshead is 92.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 5,366 planning decisions from Gateshead council. 4,980 were approved and 386 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2018 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Gateshead is 92.8%, 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 Gateshead? 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.