Guildford Council approves 81.7% of planning applications, based on 16,972 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Guildford sits 6.2 percentage points below the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — based on your ward and application type.
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 | 7,070 | 1,597 | 8,667 | 81.6% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,727 | 545 | 2,272 | 76.0% |
| Trees | 1,929 | 27 | 1,956 | 98.6% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1,298 | 428 | 1,726 | 75.2% |
| Other | 1,134 | 399 | 1,533 | 74.0% |
| Listed Building | 461 | 62 | 523 | 88.1% |
| Advertisement | 249 | 46 | 295 | 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.
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 | 1,644 | 388 | 2,032 | 80.9% |
| Tillingbourne | 1,093 | 258 | 1,351 | 80.9% |
| Worplesdon | 795 | 196 | 991 | 80.2% |
| Shalford | 758 | 129 | 887 | 85.5% |
| Castle | 670 | 143 | 813 | 82.4% |
| Pilgrims | 635 | 172 | 807 | 78.7% |
| Onslow | 627 | 113 | 740 | 84.7% |
| Merrow | 557 | 82 | 639 | 87.2% |
| Send & Lovelace | 507 | 126 | 633 | 80.1% |
| Stoke | 457 | 121 | 578 | 79.1% |
| Effingham | 415 | 125 | 540 | 76.9% |
| Burpham | 426 | 71 | 497 | 85.7% |
| Westborough | 407 | 88 | 495 | 82.2% |
| Stoughton North | 350 | 80 | 430 | 81.4% |
| Normandy & Pirbright | 307 | 72 | 379 | 81.0% |
| St Nicolas | 193 | 33 | 226 | 85.4% |
| Ash South | 117 | 16 | 133 | 88.0% |
| Bellfields & Slyfield | 92 | 25 | 117 | 78.6% |
| Ash Wharf | 93 | 23 | 116 | 80.2% |
| Ash Vale | 103 | 9 | 112 | 92.0% |
| Stoughton South | 91 | 18 | 109 | 83.5% |
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/00013 Effingham | Sycamore (T1) to section fell one sided and unbalanced Sycamore in rear garden. | Approved |
| 26/P/00006 Merrow | Erection of single storey rear extension and conversion of loft space to habitab | Approved |
| 24/P/00987 Worplesdon | Self build conversion of existing outbuildings and infill extension to create a | Approved |
| 25/P/01024 Normandy & Pirbright | Proposed single storey front extension and relocation of front door; erection of | Refused |
| 26/T/00010 Send & Lovelace | T1 Cypress - Lift canopy by approx. 6ft to clear roofline and lift to approx. 22 | Approved |
| 26/P/00024 Merrow | Replacement of side window with clear glazing; installation of glazed lean-to ro | Approved |
| 25/P/01692 Tillingbourne | Partial conversion of existing detached garage into habitable accommodation, wit | Approved |
| 25/P/01683 Send & Lovelace | Erection of a two storey side/rear extension and adjoining single storey rear ex | Approved |
| 26/P/00027 Send & Lovelace | Proposed garage conversion into habitable accommodation together with changes to | Approved |
| 25/P/01684 Clandon & Horsley | Garage conversion to habitable accommodation with infill extension. | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Guildford's 16,972 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
Get My Pro Report — £79Compare 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:
Based on 16,972 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Guildford is 81.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 16,972 planning decisions from Guildford council. 13,868 were approved and 3,104 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Guildford is 81.7%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.