Guildford planning approval rate
Guildford council approved 82.1% of planning applications and refused 17.9%, based on 18,185 decisions analysed. Ranked 25th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
82.1%
overall approval rate
18,185
Decisions analysed
14,924
Approved
3,261
Refused
21
Wards covered
Planning in Guildford? 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 Guildford. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
81.7%
77.5%
98.7%
74.4%
87.5%
84.3%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Guildford, mined from 18,185 proposal descriptions.
81.8%
78.8%
80.6%
76.5%
79.2%
85.4%
76.0%
78.7%
69.8%
79.8%
82.2%
79.1%
80.4%
74.2%
55.7%
72.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Guildford. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Clandon & Horsley
81.6%
Tillingbourne
80.8%
Worplesdon
80.8%
Castle
84.1%
Shalford
85.2%
Pilgrims
78.0%
Onslow
85.2%
Send & Lovelace
80.5%
Merrow
87.2%
Stoke
79.9%
Effingham
76.9%
Burpham
86.3%
Westborough
82.4%
Normandy & Pirbright
82.0%
Stoughton North
81.3%
St Nicolas
86.6%
Ash South
89.2%
Bellfields & Slyfield
80.6%
Ash Wharf
82.5%
Stoughton South
85.4%
Wards in Guildford
Clandon & Horsley
81.6% approval · 2,185 decisions
Tillingbourne
80.8% approval · 1,454 decisions
Worplesdon
80.8% approval · 1,064 decisions
Castle
84.1% approval · 963 decisions
Shalford
85.2% approval · 959 decisions
Pilgrims
78.0% approval · 874 decisions
Onslow
85.2% approval · 788 decisions
Send & Lovelace
80.5% approval · 722 decisions
Merrow
87.2% approval · 681 decisions
Stoke
79.9% approval · 633 decisions
Effingham
76.9% approval · 581 decisions
Burpham
86.3% approval · 547 decisions
Westborough
82.4% approval · 535 decisions
Normandy & Pirbright
82.0% approval · 450 decisions
Stoughton North
81.3% approval · 445 decisions
St Nicolas
86.6% approval · 253 decisions
Ash South
89.2% approval · 157 decisions
Bellfields & Slyfield
80.6% approval · 139 decisions
Ash Wharf
82.5% approval · 137 decisions
Stoughton South
85.4% approval · 137 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Guildford, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of a single storey side extension to form a new enclosed porch (descrip · Burpham · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Single storey rear extension and front porch · Stoughton South · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Erection of a 2 storey 4 bedroom self-build dwelling and detached carport follow · Clandon & Horsley · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Guildford, 1 in 6 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 Guildford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Guildford →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Guildford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 18,185 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Guildford
What is the planning approval rate in Guildford?
Based on 18,185 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Guildford approved 82.1% of applications and refused 17.9%. The council is ranked 25th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Guildford?
Guildford refuses 17.9% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 6. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 18,185 decided applications since 2020, 3,261 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Guildford have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Guildford are in Ash Vale (91.5%), Ash South (89.2%), and Merrow (87.2%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Guildford?
The most common planning application types in Guildford are: Full (9,237 decisions, 81.7% approved), Discharge of Conditions (2,463, 77.5%), and Trees (2,103, 98.7%).
How long does a planning application take in Guildford?
Planning applications in Guildford take an average of 13.3 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 18,103 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. Guildford decides approximately 3,031 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Guildford?
You can search planning applications in Guildford directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 18,185 historical decisions in Guildford to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Guildford calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Guildford'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.