Guildford planning approval rate
Guildford council approved 82.0% of planning applications and refused 18.0%, based on 17,793 decisions analysed. Ranked 23rd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
82.0%
overall approval rate
17,793
Decisions analysed
14,593
Approved
3,200
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%
77.1%
98.6%
74.5%
87.9%
84.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Guildford, mined from 17,793 proposal descriptions.
81.7%
78.9%
80.4%
76.3%
79.1%
85.1%
75.8%
79.1%
70.1%
79.9%
82.1%
78.9%
80.5%
73.6%
56.5%
72.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Guildford. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Clandon & Horsley
81.4%
Tillingbourne
81.1%
Worplesdon
80.9%
Shalford
85.1%
Castle
83.8%
Pilgrims
78.4%
Onslow
84.9%
Send & Lovelace
80.4%
Merrow
87.2%
Stoke
79.6%
Effingham
77.2%
Burpham
86.4%
Westborough
82.4%
Stoughton North
81.4%
Normandy & Pirbright
82.2%
St Nicolas
86.1%
Ash South
88.6%
Bellfields & Slyfield
79.9%
Ash Wharf
81.4%
Stoughton South
85.2%
Wards in Guildford
Clandon & Horsley
81.4% approval · 2,129 decisions
Tillingbourne
81.1% approval · 1,416 decisions
Worplesdon
80.9% approval · 1,045 decisions
Shalford
85.1% approval · 934 decisions
Castle
83.8% approval · 920 decisions
Pilgrims
78.4% approval · 857 decisions
Onslow
84.9% approval · 773 decisions
Send & Lovelace
80.4% approval · 695 decisions
Merrow
87.2% approval · 663 decisions
Stoke
79.6% approval · 617 decisions
Effingham
77.2% approval · 571 decisions
Burpham
86.4% approval · 528 decisions
Westborough
82.4% approval · 523 decisions
Stoughton North
81.4% approval · 440 decisions
Normandy & Pirbright
82.2% approval · 427 decisions
St Nicolas
86.1% approval · 244 decisions
Ash South
88.6% approval · 149 decisions
Bellfields & Slyfield
79.9% approval · 134 decisions
Ash Wharf
81.4% approval · 129 decisions
Stoughton South
85.2% approval · 128 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Guildford, showing how the council decides real applications.
Partial conversion of existing garage into habitable space, including insertion · Clandon & Horsley · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Erection of a single-storey rear extension, partial conversion of the existing s · Pilgrims · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Replacement of non-historic single glazed windows with double glazed windows. · Pilgrims · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 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 17,793 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Guildford
What is the planning approval rate in Guildford?
Based on 17,793 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Guildford approved 82.0% of applications and refused 18.0%. The council is ranked 23rd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Guildford?
Guildford refuses 18.0% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 6. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 17,793 decided applications since 2020, 3,200 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 (91.0%), Ash South (88.6%), 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 (9,053 decisions, 81.7% approved), Discharge of Conditions (2,406, 77.1%), and Trees (2,056, 98.6%).
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 17,715 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 2,966 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 17,793 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.