Guildford Council approves 80.8% of planning applications, based on 10,064 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Guildford sits 4.2 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 10,064 decisions on record (January 2020 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Guildford is 80.8%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Guildford council planning portal records · Data to 29 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 | 7,658 | 1,710 | 9,368 | 81.7% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,953 | 561 | 2,514 | 77.7% |
| Trees | 2,112 | 30 | 2,142 | 98.6% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1,444 | 456 | 1,900 | 76.0% |
| Other | 1,225 | 417 | 1,642 | 74.6% |
| Listed Building | 511 | 72 | 583 | 87.7% |
| Advertisement | 274 | 51 | 325 | 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 | 1,816 | 408 | 2,224 | 81.7% |
| Tillingbourne | 1,198 | 281 | 1,479 | 81.0% |
| Worplesdon | 873 | 205 | 1,078 | 81.0% |
| Castle | 849 | 154 | 1,003 | 84.6% |
| Shalford | 836 | 143 | 979 | 85.4% |
| Pilgrims | 695 | 198 | 893 | 77.8% |
| Onslow | 679 | 119 | 798 | 85.1% |
| Send & Lovelace | 597 | 146 | 743 | 80.3% |
| Merrow | 602 | 89 | 691 | 87.1% |
| Stoke | 520 | 128 | 648 | 80.2% |
| Effingham | 450 | 136 | 586 | 76.8% |
| Burpham | 481 | 77 | 558 | 86.2% |
| Westborough | 447 | 95 | 542 | 82.5% |
| Normandy & Pirbright | 389 | 82 | 471 | 82.6% |
| Stoughton North | 365 | 84 | 449 | 81.3% |
| St Nicolas | 226 | 34 | 260 | 86.9% |
| Ash South | 145 | 17 | 162 | 89.5% |
| Bellfields & Slyfield | 115 | 28 | 143 | 80.4% |
| Ash Wharf | 118 | 24 | 142 | 83.1% |
| Stoughton South | 121 | 21 | 142 | 85.2% |
| Ash Vale | 121 | 11 | 132 | 91.7% |
How Guildford’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 3.3pp 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/T/00208 Castle | T1 (Horse Chestnut): Crown raise Road side up to 6.5m, T2 (Horse Chestnut): Crow | Approved |
| 26/P/01164 Castle | Installation of first floor window to front elevation | Approved |
| 26/T/00189 Castle | T1: Aesculus (Chestnut) Prune back tree to boundary line (Including main limbs b | Approved |
| 26/T/00175 Worplesdon | Fell one Silver birch tree in front garden of property together with replantatio | Refused |
| 26/T/00170 Ash Wharf | T1 Very large mature oak located in a combined garden area at the front of 2,3 & | Approved |
| 26/P/00866 Stoughton North | Conversion of garage to habitable accommodation | Approved |
| 26/P/00834 Castle | Proposed single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/P/00433 Worplesdon | Erection of a small infill front extension, single storey front/side/rear extens | Approved |
| 26/P/01079 Tillingbourne | Installation of solar panels to roof of two outside stores (two panels per store | Approved |
| 26/P/01043 Send & Lovelace | Erection of ground floor rear, side and front porch extension. | 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 10,064 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 10,064 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 10,064 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Guildford is 80.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 10,064 planning decisions from Guildford council. 8,130 were approved and 1,934 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Guildford is 80.8%, 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.