Gateshead planning approval rate
Gateshead council approved 93.6% of planning applications and refused 6.4%, based on 7,467 decisions analysed. Ranked 210th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
93.6%
overall approval rate
7,467
Decisions analysed
6,990
Approved
477
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.
94.3%
96.3%
90.1%
86.8%
97.4%
88.3%
96.9%
74.1%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Gateshead, mined from 7,467 proposal descriptions.
96.8%
93.3%
95.9%
94.9%
89.7%
94.0%
87.9%
96.9%
90.8%
96.8%
92.4%
91.4%
91.2%
90.0%
94.7%
88.2%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Gateshead. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Bridges
94.2%
Lamesley
94.8%
Whickham South And Sunniside
93.6%
Low Fell
91.9%
Dunston Hill And Whickham East
92.0%
Ryton Crookhill And Stella
94.9%
Whickham North
95.1%
Lobley Hill And Bensham
94.8%
Winlaton And High Spen
93.3%
Blaydon
92.7%
Crawcrook And Greenside
91.2%
Chopwell And Rowlands Gill
93.1%
Saltwell
94.8%
Birtley
91.6%
Pelaw And Heworth
94.5%
Wardley And Leam Lane
96.4%
Felling
91.8%
Chowdene
94.8%
High Fell
94.8%
Dunston And Teams
93.0%
Wards in Gateshead
Bridges
94.2% approval · 639 decisions
Lamesley
94.8% approval · 535 decisions
Whickham South And Sunniside
93.6% approval · 514 decisions
Low Fell
91.9% approval · 495 decisions
Dunston Hill And Whickham East
92.0% approval · 475 decisions
Ryton Crookhill And Stella
94.9% approval · 415 decisions
Whickham North
95.1% approval · 410 decisions
Lobley Hill And Bensham
94.8% approval · 403 decisions
Winlaton And High Spen
93.3% approval · 403 decisions
Blaydon
92.7% approval · 384 decisions
Crawcrook And Greenside
91.2% approval · 365 decisions
Chopwell And Rowlands Gill
93.1% approval · 348 decisions
Saltwell
94.8% approval · 290 decisions
Birtley
91.6% approval · 274 decisions
Pelaw And Heworth
94.5% approval · 254 decisions
Wardley And Leam Lane
96.4% approval · 222 decisions
Felling
91.8% approval · 220 decisions
Chowdene
94.8% approval · 212 decisions
High Fell
94.8% approval · 172 decisions
Dunston And Teams
93.0% approval · 171 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Gateshead, showing how the council decides real applications.
Change of use and conversion of first floor office space into 3No 2 bedroom apar · Winlaton And High Spen · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Change of use from a former school into residential apartments (Use Class C3) (a · Felling · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Change of use from Family Centre, previously used by Gateshead Council Social Se · Felling · Wed 12 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more 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 7,467 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Gateshead
What is the planning approval rate in Gateshead?
Based on 7,467 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Gateshead approved 93.6% of applications and refused 6.4%. The council is ranked 210th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Gateshead?
Gateshead refuses 6.4% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 16. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 7,467 decided applications since 2020, 477 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 (96.5%), Wardley And Leam Lane (96.4%), and Whickham North (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 (4,666 decisions, 94.3% approved), Discharge of Conditions (897, 96.3%), and Other (656, 90.1%).
How long does a planning application take in Gateshead?
Planning applications in Gateshead take an average of 12.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 7,397 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 1,244 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 7,467 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.