Guildford Council approves 82.1% of planning applications, based on 18,185 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Guildford sits 6.5 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,512 decided applications, Guildford Council approved 83.4% of planning applications in 2025. Across 18,185 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Guildford is 82.1%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Guildford council planning portal records · Updated August 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 Guildford.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 7,544 | 1,693 | 9,237 | 81.7% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,910 | 553 | 2,463 | 77.5% |
| Trees | 2,075 | 28 | 2,103 | 98.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1,423 | 452 | 1,875 | 75.9% |
| Other | 1,202 | 413 | 1,615 | 74.4% |
| Listed Building | 502 | 72 | 574 | 87.5% |
| Advertisement | 268 | 50 | 318 | 84.3% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clandon & Horsley | 1,783 | 402 | 2,185 | 81.6% |
| Tillingbourne | 1,175 | 279 | 1,454 | 80.8% |
| Worplesdon | 860 | 204 | 1,064 | 80.8% |
| Castle | 810 | 153 | 963 | 84.1% |
| Shalford | 817 | 142 | 959 | 85.2% |
| Pilgrims | 682 | 192 | 874 | 78.0% |
| Onslow | 671 | 117 | 788 | 85.2% |
| Send & Lovelace | 581 | 141 | 722 | 80.5% |
| Merrow | 594 | 87 | 681 | 87.2% |
| Stoke | 506 | 127 | 633 | 79.9% |
| Effingham | 447 | 134 | 581 | 76.9% |
| Burpham | 472 | 75 | 547 | 86.3% |
| Westborough | 441 | 94 | 535 | 82.4% |
| Normandy & Pirbright | 369 | 81 | 450 | 82.0% |
| Stoughton North | 362 | 83 | 445 | 81.3% |
| St Nicolas | 219 | 34 | 253 | 86.6% |
| Ash South | 140 | 17 | 157 | 89.2% |
| Bellfields & Slyfield | 112 | 27 | 139 | 80.6% |
| Ash Wharf | 113 | 24 | 137 | 82.5% |
| Stoughton South | 117 | 20 | 137 | 85.4% |
| Ash Vale | 119 | 11 | 130 | 91.5% |
How Guildford’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 3.0pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Guildford council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/P/00833 Burpham | Erection of a single storey side extension to form a new enclosed porch (descrip | Approved |
| 26/P/00794 Stoughton South | Single storey rear extension and front porch | Approved |
| 26/P/00695 Clandon & Horsley | Erection of a 2 storey 4 bedroom self-build dwelling and detached carport follow | Approved |
| 26/P/00435 Ash South | Erection of a single storey side extension and replacement of the flat roof to e | Approved |
| 25/P/01626 Shalford | Erection of ground and first floor rear extension with changes to roofline and a | Approved |
| 25/P/01420 Pilgrims | Single storey side extension (retrospective). | Approved |
| 26/P/00817 Onslow | Erection of front porch and single storey rear extension along with changes to f | Approved |
| 26/P/00784 Onslow | Erection of a single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/P/00732 Burpham | Erection of a two storey side and rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/P/00547 Merrow | Installation of 15 solar panels on the east and west facing roof | 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 Guildford's 18,185 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Guildford's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Guildford'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 Guildford. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 18,185 real decisions from Guildford 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 Guildford'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 18,185 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Guildford is 82.1%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 18,185 planning decisions from Guildford council. 14,924 were approved and 3,261 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Guildford is 82.1%, 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 Guildford? 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.