Oxford Council approves 91.5% of planning applications, based on 6,203 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Oxford sits 2.9 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 6,203 decided applications published since January 2020, Oxford Council approved 91.5% of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Oxford council planning portal records · Updated August 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, 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 Oxford.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 2,304 | 325 | 2,629 | 87.6% |
| Trees | 1,329 | 7 | 1,336 | 99.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 870 | 20 | 890 | 97.8% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 516 | 119 | 635 | 81.3% |
| Other | 255 | 29 | 284 | 89.8% |
| Listed Building | 267 | 5 | 272 | 98.2% |
| Advertisement | 113 | 15 | 128 | 88.3% |
| Prior Approval | 11 | 4 | 15 | 73.3% |
| Change of Use | 12 | 2 | 14 | 85.7% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holywell | 409 | 4 | 413 | 99.0% |
| Summertown | 385 | 20 | 405 | 95.1% |
| Headington | 312 | 35 | 347 | 89.9% |
| Headington Hill And Northway | 269 | 34 | 303 | 88.8% |
| Wolvercote | 271 | 9 | 280 | 96.8% |
| Carfax | 261 | 12 | 273 | 95.6% |
| Marston | 238 | 34 | 272 | 87.5% |
| Quarry And Risinghurst | 237 | 31 | 268 | 88.4% |
| Cowley | 215 | 39 | 254 | 84.6% |
| North | 239 | 4 | 243 | 98.4% |
| Carfax And Jericho | 223 | 6 | 229 | 97.4% |
| St Clement's | 201 | 25 | 226 | 88.9% |
| St Marys | 204 | 12 | 216 | 94.4% |
| Walton Manor | 210 | 5 | 215 | 97.7% |
| Jericho And Osney | 190 | 18 | 208 | 91.3% |
| St Margarets | 193 | 6 | 199 | 97.0% |
| Rose Hill And Iffley | 172 | 26 | 198 | 86.9% |
| Lye Valley | 153 | 37 | 190 | 80.5% |
| Littlemore | 162 | 24 | 186 | 87.1% |
| Churchill | 157 | 23 | 180 | 87.2% |
| Cowley Marsh | 114 | 26 | 140 | 81.4% |
| Osney And St. Thomas | 129 | 10 | 139 | 92.8% |
| Hinksey Park | 116 | 11 | 127 | 91.3% |
| Iffley Fields | 103 | 14 | 117 | 88.0% |
| Cutteslowe And Sunnymead | 105 | 7 | 112 | 93.8% |
Showing top 25 of 30 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Oxford’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.5pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Oxford council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01506/FUL Cutteslowe And Sunnymead | Demolition of existing rear conservatory. Erection of a single storey rear exten | Approved |
| 26/01500/LBC Carfax And Jericho | Installation of secondary glazing to windows of the basement cafe. | Approved |
| 26/01447/FUL St Marys | Change of use of dwellinghouse (Use Class C3) to a House in Multiple Occupation | Approved |
| 26/01374/FUL Walton Manor | Creation of new building entrances (ROQ East and West), refurbishment of timber | Approved |
| 26/01209/FUL Headington | Change of use of dwellinghouse (Use Class C3) to a House in Multiple Occupation | Approved |
| 26/00043/FUL Cowley | Change of use of dwellinghouse (Use Class C3) to a House in Multiple Occupation | Approved |
| 26/01478/LBC Holywell | Installation of a low-level 150 mm diameter extract cowl through the lead roof o | Approved |
| 26/01477/FUL Holywell | Installation of a low-level 150 mm diameter extract cowl through the lead roof o | Approved |
| 26/01476/LBC Carfax And Jericho | Replacement of 4no.stone statues, 1no. flagpole and 4no. lights to the west towe | Approved |
| 26/01475/FUL Temple Cowley | Alterations to hip to gable, formation of 1no. rear dormer in association with a | 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 Oxford's 6,203 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Oxford's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Oxford'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 Oxford. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 6,203 real decisions from Oxford 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 Oxford'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 6,203 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Oxford is 91.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 6,203 planning decisions from Oxford council. 5,677 were approved and 526 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Oxford is 91.5%, 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 Oxford? 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.