Guildford Council approves 82.1% of planning applications, based on 18,330 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 18,330 decisions on record (January 2020 to September 2026), 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 · Data to 9 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 Guildford.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 7,602 | 1,702 | 9,304 | 81.7% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,934 | 559 | 2,493 | 77.6% |
| Trees | 2,092 | 28 | 2,120 | 98.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1,434 | 453 | 1,887 | 76.0% |
| Other | 1,210 | 415 | 1,625 | 74.5% |
| Listed Building | 508 | 72 | 580 | 87.6% |
| Advertisement | 271 | 50 | 321 | 84.4% |
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 | 1,803 | 405 | 2,208 | 81.7% |
| Tillingbourne | 1,185 | 280 | 1,465 | 80.9% |
| Worplesdon | 865 | 204 | 1,069 | 80.9% |
| Castle | 828 | 153 | 981 | 84.4% |
| Shalford | 827 | 143 | 970 | 85.3% |
| Pilgrims | 688 | 197 | 885 | 77.7% |
| Onslow | 677 | 119 | 796 | 85.1% |
| Send & Lovelace | 592 | 143 | 735 | 80.5% |
| Merrow | 599 | 88 | 687 | 87.2% |
| Stoke | 516 | 127 | 643 | 80.2% |
| Effingham | 447 | 135 | 582 | 76.8% |
| Burpham | 475 | 76 | 551 | 86.2% |
| Westborough | 445 | 94 | 539 | 82.6% |
| Normandy & Pirbright | 377 | 81 | 458 | 82.3% |
| Stoughton North | 362 | 84 | 446 | 81.2% |
| St Nicolas | 222 | 34 | 256 | 86.7% |
| Ash South | 143 | 17 | 160 | 89.4% |
| Ash Wharf | 116 | 24 | 140 | 82.9% |
| Bellfields & Slyfield | 113 | 27 | 140 | 80.7% |
| Stoughton South | 118 | 20 | 138 | 85.5% |
| Ash Vale | 119 | 11 | 130 | 91.5% |
How Guildford’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 3.2pp 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/00706 Castle | Listed building consent for the installation of replacement extraction plant on | Approved |
| 26/P/00647 Castle | Installation of replacement extraction plant on the roof of the building. | Approved |
| 26/T/00194 Onslow | Reduce the crown of the two beach trees each side of the drive and the loquat tr | Approved |
| 26/P/00904 St Nicolas | Installation of 1no. extractor fan, replacement of existing porcelain steps to t | Approved |
| 26/P/00958 Castle | Erection of a swimming pool and associated hardstanding (description amended 24/ | Approved |
| 26/T/00172 Castle | T1 Beech tree, Reduce back over neighbouring property (garden) by 1.5-2m to mini | Approved |
| 26/P/00910 Onslow | Erection of front porch extension and two storey side and rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/T/00164 Pilgrims | T1 - Oak - Reduce by approx 1.5m to leave a finished height of approx 14m and di | Approved |
| 26/P/00878 Tillingbourne | Erection of two-storey side extension | Approved |
| 26/P/00874 Clandon & Horsley | Construction of new replacement single storey rear extension and outbuilding fol | 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 18,330 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 18,330 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 18,330 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 18,330 planning decisions from Guildford council. 15,051 were approved and 3,279 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to September 2026.
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.