Gateshead planning approval rate
Gateshead council approved 93.7% of planning applications and refused 6.3%, based on 7,366 decisions analysed. Ranked 199th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
93.7%
overall approval rate
7,366
Decisions analysed
6,900
Approved
466
Refused
22
Wards covered
Planning in Gateshead? 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 Gateshead. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
94.4%
96.8%
90.2%
86.7%
97.7%
88.1%
96.8%
73.2%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Gateshead, mined from 7,366 proposal descriptions.
96.8%
93.2%
95.8%
94.8%
89.5%
93.9%
87.7%
96.9%
90.6%
96.8%
92.2%
91.4%
91.2%
90.0%
94.7%
87.5%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Gateshead. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Bridges
94.3%
Lamesley
94.9%
Whickham South And Sunniside
93.6%
Low Fell
91.8%
Dunston Hill And Whickham East
92.5%
Ryton Crookhill And Stella
95.1%
Whickham North
95.0%
Lobley Hill And Bensham
94.7%
Winlaton And High Spen
93.5%
Blaydon
92.9%
Crawcrook And Greenside
91.2%
Chopwell And Rowlands Gill
93.0%
Saltwell
94.8%
Birtley
91.9%
Pelaw And Heworth
94.4%
Wardley And Leam Lane
96.3%
Felling
92.1%
Chowdene
94.8%
High Fell
94.7%
Dunston And Teams
92.9%
Wards in Gateshead
Bridges
94.3% approval · 633 decisions
Lamesley
94.9% approval · 526 decisions
Whickham South And Sunniside
93.6% approval · 512 decisions
Low Fell
91.8% approval · 485 decisions
Dunston Hill And Whickham East
92.5% approval · 465 decisions
Ryton Crookhill And Stella
95.1% approval · 408 decisions
Whickham North
95.0% approval · 403 decisions
Lobley Hill And Bensham
94.7% approval · 398 decisions
Winlaton And High Spen
93.5% approval · 398 decisions
Blaydon
92.9% approval · 381 decisions
Crawcrook And Greenside
91.2% approval · 362 decisions
Chopwell And Rowlands Gill
93.0% approval · 345 decisions
Saltwell
94.8% approval · 289 decisions
Birtley
91.9% approval · 270 decisions
Pelaw And Heworth
94.4% approval · 251 decisions
Wardley And Leam Lane
96.3% approval · 216 decisions
Felling
92.1% approval · 215 decisions
Chowdene
94.8% approval · 211 decisions
High Fell
94.7% approval · 170 decisions
Dunston And Teams
92.9% approval · 168 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Gateshead, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of an illuminated small format advertising display · Lobley Hill And Bensham · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Proposed replacement of fire damaged pavilion (updated tree survey received 09.0 · Saltwell · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Proposed outbuilding and ancillary works to front garden (Retrospective) · Ryton Crookhill And Stella · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Gateshead, 1 in 16 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 Gateshead
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Gateshead →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Gateshead
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 7,366 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Gateshead
What is the planning approval rate in Gateshead?
Based on 7,366 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Gateshead approved 93.7% of applications and refused 6.3%. The council is ranked 199th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Gateshead?
Gateshead refuses 6.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 16. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 7,366 decided applications since 2020, 466 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Gateshead have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Gateshead are in Deckham (96.4%), Wardley And Leam Lane (96.3%), and Ryton Crookhill And Stella (95.1%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Gateshead?
The most common planning application types in Gateshead are: Full (4,603 decisions, 94.4% approved), Discharge of Conditions (875, 96.8%), and Other (653, 90.2%).
How long does a planning application take in Gateshead?
Planning applications in Gateshead take an average of 12.7 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 7,298 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. Gateshead decides approximately 1,228 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Gateshead?
You can search planning applications in Gateshead directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 7,366 historical decisions in Gateshead to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Gateshead calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Gateshead'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.