Lichfield Council approves 84.5% of planning applications, based on 2,991 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Lichfield sits 4.1 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 850 decided applications, Lichfield Council approved 80.0% of planning applications in 2025. Across 2,991 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Lichfield is 84.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Lichfield council planning portal records · Updated August 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 Lichfield.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,616 | 273 | 1,889 | 85.5% |
| Other | 220 | 57 | 277 | 79.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 214 | 47 | 261 | 82.0% |
| Listed Building | 195 | 26 | 221 | 88.2% |
| Change of Use | 142 | 44 | 186 | 76.3% |
| Advertisement | 77 | 6 | 83 | 92.8% |
| Prior Approval | 57 | 11 | 68 | 83.8% |
| Trees | 4 | 0 | 4 | 100.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stowe | 254 | 35 | 289 | 87.9% |
| Little Aston And Stonnall | 201 | 60 | 261 | 77.0% |
| Whittington And Streethay | 228 | 26 | 254 | 89.8% |
| Alrewas And Fradley | 187 | 35 | 222 | 84.2% |
| Longdon | 158 | 40 | 198 | 79.8% |
| St Johns | 150 | 28 | 178 | 84.3% |
| Leomansley | 161 | 11 | 172 | 93.6% |
| Armitage With Handsacre | 133 | 29 | 162 | 82.1% |
| Hammerwich With Wall | 126 | 27 | 153 | 82.4% |
| Bourne Vale | 108 | 31 | 139 | 77.7% |
| Shenstone | 104 | 18 | 122 | 85.2% |
| Colton And The Ridwares | 94 | 18 | 112 | 83.9% |
| Mease Valley | 72 | 20 | 92 | 78.3% |
| Fazeley | 76 | 15 | 91 | 83.5% |
| Chadsmead | 80 | 10 | 90 | 88.9% |
| Highfield | 69 | 18 | 87 | 79.3% |
| Chasetown | 71 | 15 | 86 | 82.6% |
| Boley Park | 72 | 3 | 75 | 96.0% |
| Boney Hay And Central | 57 | 7 | 64 | 89.1% |
| Chase Terrace | 44 | 7 | 51 | 86.3% |
| Summerfield And All Saints | 46 | 4 | 50 | 92.0% |
| Curborough | 29 | 5 | 34 | 85.3% |
How Lichfield’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 14.7pp since 2022.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Lichfield council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00826/FUH Bourne Vale | Installation of a side window and replacement of 3m wide bi-fold doors with 3m w | Approved |
| 26/00830/PIP Longdon | Permission in Principle: Proposed erection of up to 3no. Dwellings | Refused |
| 26/00817/LBC St Johns | Works to listed building including amendments to the approved storey rear extens | Approved |
| 26/00694/FUL Fazeley | Section 73 application to permission 14/00240/FUL to vary condition 4 (Parking S | Approved |
| 26/00759/LBC Mease Valley | Works to Listed Building to allow the replacement of timber French doors | Refused |
| 26/00754/FUL Hammerwich With Wall | Retention of existing stables and erection of 5no new stables | Approved |
| 26/00624/FUL St Johns | Erection of a 4 bedroom detached dwelling with garage and associated landscaping | Approved |
| 26/00738/FUH Shenstone | Erection of a detached double garage | Approved |
| 26/00788/FUH Chadsmead | Erection of single storey front extension to existing garage and porch to form e | Refused |
| 26/00828/FUH St Johns | Erection of a first floor side 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 Lichfield's 2,991 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Lichfield's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Lichfield'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 Lichfield. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 2,991 real decisions from Lichfield 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 Lichfield'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 2,991 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Lichfield is 84.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,991 planning decisions from Lichfield council. 2,527 were approved and 464 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Lichfield is 84.5%, 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 Lichfield? 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.