Gloucester planning approval rate
Gloucester council approved 85.0% of planning applications and refused 15.0%, based on 4,341 decisions analysed. Ranked 49th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
85.0%
overall approval rate
4,341
Decisions analysed
3,689
Approved
652
Refused
18
Wards covered
Planning in Gloucester? 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 Gloucester. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
83.9%
91.2%
90.6%
94.5%
80.0%
85.5%
80.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Gloucester, mined from 4,341 proposal descriptions.
87.0%
82.2%
85.1%
82.6%
83.0%
87.7%
73.0%
70.8%
82.9%
82.5%
87.5%
79.2%
60.0%
81.0%
93.3%
66.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Gloucester. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Westgate
85.7%
Longlevens
83.1%
Kingsholm & Wotton
89.8%
Moreland
82.4%
Elmbridge
84.9%
Barnwood
86.1%
Hucclecote
82.8%
Tuffley
85.4%
Matson, Robinswood & White City
82.2%
Barton & Tredworth
66.7%
Quedgeley Fieldcourt
90.6%
Abbeydale
92.1%
Abbeymead
85.5%
Podsmead
84.4%
Quedgeley Severn Vale
88.3%
Grange
92.6%
Coney Hill
82.9%
Kingsway
84.5%
Wards in Gloucester
Westgate
85.7% approval · 722 decisions
Longlevens
83.1% approval · 419 decisions
Kingsholm & Wotton
89.8% approval · 343 decisions
Moreland
82.4% approval · 323 decisions
Elmbridge
84.9% approval · 298 decisions
Barnwood
86.1% approval · 280 decisions
Hucclecote
82.8% approval · 256 decisions
Tuffley
85.4% approval · 213 decisions
Matson, Robinswood & White City
82.2% approval · 202 decisions
Barton & Tredworth
66.7% approval · 195 decisions
Quedgeley Fieldcourt
90.6% approval · 181 decisions
Abbeydale
92.1% approval · 178 decisions
Abbeymead
85.5% approval · 152 decisions
Podsmead
84.4% approval · 147 decisions
Quedgeley Severn Vale
88.3% approval · 145 decisions
Grange
92.6% approval · 122 decisions
Coney Hill
82.9% approval · 76 decisions
Kingsway
84.5% approval · 58 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Gloucester, showing how the council decides real applications.
Construction of a two-storey ancillary residential annex attached to the existin · Abbeymead · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Single storey side/rear extension · Kingsholm & Wotton · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Demolition of existing single storey rear extension, garage and outbuilding and · Longlevens · Thu 20 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Gloucester, 1 in 7 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 Gloucester
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Gloucester →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Gloucester
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 4,341 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Gloucester
What is the planning approval rate in Gloucester?
Based on 4,341 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Gloucester approved 85.0% of applications and refused 15.0%. The council is ranked 49th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Gloucester?
Gloucester refuses 15.0% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 7. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 4,341 decided applications since 2020, 652 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Gloucester have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Gloucester are in Grange (92.6%), Abbeydale (92.1%), and Quedgeley Fieldcourt (90.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Gloucester?
The most common planning application types in Gloucester are: Full (2,845 decisions, 83.9% approved), Other (491, 91.2%), and Certificate of Lawfulness (386, 84.7%).
How long does a planning application take in Gloucester?
Planning applications in Gloucester take an average of 13.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 4,298 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. Gloucester decides approximately 724 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Gloucester?
You can search planning applications in Gloucester directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 4,341 historical decisions in Gloucester to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Gloucester calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Gloucester'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.