Lichfield planning approval rate
Lichfield council approved 84.6% of planning applications and refused 15.4%, based on 2,866 decisions analysed. Ranked 44th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
84.6%
overall approval rate
2,866
Decisions analysed
2,425
Approved
441
Refused
22
Wards covered
Planning in Lichfield? 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 Lichfield. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
85.7%
79.9%
88.4%
77.0%
92.6%
83.6%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Lichfield, mined from 2,866 proposal descriptions.
90.2%
83.3%
86.5%
75.5%
86.7%
77.4%
87.8%
84.3%
93.3%
82.4%
91.3%
82.0%
71.4%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Lichfield. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Stowe
88.2%
Little Aston And Stonnall
77.4%
Whittington And Streethay
89.3%
Alrewas And Fradley
84.4%
Longdon
81.3%
St Johns
83.3%
Leomansley
95.0%
Armitage With Handsacre
82.1%
Hammerwich With Wall
81.4%
Bourne Vale
77.9%
Colton And The Ridwares
84.4%
Shenstone
84.1%
Mease Valley
78.2%
Fazeley
82.6%
Chasetown
82.6%
Chadsmead
90.6%
Highfield
80.7%
Boley Park
96.0%
Boney Hay And Central
88.7%
Summerfield And All Saints
91.8%
Wards in Lichfield
Stowe
88.2% approval · 280 decisions
Little Aston And Stonnall
77.4% approval · 252 decisions
Whittington And Streethay
89.3% approval · 243 decisions
Alrewas And Fradley
84.4% approval · 218 decisions
Longdon
81.3% approval · 187 decisions
St Johns
83.3% approval · 168 decisions
Leomansley
95.0% approval · 161 decisions
Armitage With Handsacre
82.1% approval · 156 decisions
Hammerwich With Wall
81.4% approval · 145 decisions
Bourne Vale
77.9% approval · 136 decisions
Colton And The Ridwares
84.4% approval · 109 decisions
Shenstone
84.1% approval · 107 decisions
Mease Valley
78.2% approval · 87 decisions
Fazeley
82.6% approval · 86 decisions
Chasetown
82.6% approval · 86 decisions
Chadsmead
90.6% approval · 85 decisions
Highfield
80.7% approval · 83 decisions
Boley Park
96.0% approval · 75 decisions
Boney Hay And Central
88.7% approval · 62 decisions
Summerfield And All Saints
91.8% approval · 49 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Lichfield, showing how the council decides real applications.
Change of use from Class E(g) (formerly Class B1) to Class E(d) (Indoor Sport, R · Fazeley · Fri 19 Jun 2026
Replace flat roof with new pitched roof over existing garage/gym (Re-submission · Boney Hay And Central · Fri 19 Jun 2026
Alterations to external fascia including changes to windows, doors and installat · Bourne Vale · Fri 19 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Lichfield, 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 Lichfield
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Lichfield →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Lichfield
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 2,866 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Lichfield
What is the planning approval rate in Lichfield?
Based on 2,866 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Lichfield approved 84.6% of applications and refused 15.4%. The council is ranked 44th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Lichfield?
Lichfield refuses 15.4% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 6. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 2,866 decided applications since 2020, 441 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Lichfield have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Lichfield are in Boley Park (96.0%), Leomansley (95.0%), and Chadsmead (90.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Lichfield?
The most common planning application types in Lichfield are: Full (1,811 decisions, 85.7% approved), Other (264, 79.9%), and Certificate of Lawfulness (248, 81.5%).
How long does a planning application take in Lichfield?
Planning applications in Lichfield take an average of 11.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 2,843 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. Lichfield decides approximately 478 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Lichfield?
You can search planning applications in Lichfield directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 2,866 historical decisions in Lichfield to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Lichfield calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Lichfield'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.