Oxford Council approves 91.5% of planning applications, based on 5,477 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Oxford sits 3.6 percentage points above 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 Oxford.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 2,087 | 296 | 2,383 | 87.6% |
| Trees | 1,150 | 6 | 1,156 | 99.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 753 | 18 | 771 | 97.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 465 | 98 | 563 | 82.6% |
| Other | 212 | 25 | 237 | 89.5% |
| Listed Building | 227 | 5 | 232 | 97.8% |
| Advertisement | 94 | 13 | 107 | 87.9% |
| Prior Approval | 10 | 4 | 14 | 71.4% |
| 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.
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 Ward | 349 | 4 | 353 | 98.9% |
| Headington Ward | 271 | 33 | 304 | 89.1% |
| Carfax Ward | 261 | 12 | 273 | 95.6% |
| Headington Hill And Northway Ward | 231 | 31 | 262 | 88.2% |
| Wolvercote Ward | 245 | 9 | 254 | 96.5% |
| Marston Ward | 217 | 32 | 249 | 87.1% |
| North Ward | 239 | 4 | 243 | 98.4% |
| Quarry And Risinghurst Ward | 216 | 24 | 240 | 90.0% |
| Cowley Ward | 201 | 33 | 234 | 85.9% |
| Jericho And Osney Ward | 190 | 18 | 208 | 91.3% |
| St Margarets Ward | 193 | 6 | 199 | 97.0% |
| St Clement's Ward | 178 | 21 | 199 | 89.4% |
| St Marys Ward | 182 | 11 | 193 | 94.3% |
| Summertown Ward | 180 | 12 | 192 | 93.8% |
| Lye Valley Ward | 147 | 36 | 183 | 80.3% |
| Rose Hill And Iffley Ward | 152 | 25 | 177 | 85.9% |
| Littlemore Ward | 145 | 24 | 169 | 85.8% |
| Carfax And Jericho Ward | 157 | 4 | 161 | 97.5% |
| Churchill Ward | 134 | 19 | 153 | 87.6% |
| Summertown | 147 | 3 | 150 | 98.0% |
| Walton Manor Ward | 145 | 4 | 149 | 97.3% |
| Cowley Marsh Ward | 114 | 26 | 140 | 81.4% |
| Iffley Fields Ward | 103 | 14 | 117 | 88.0% |
| Hinksey Park | 102 | 9 | 111 | 91.9% |
| Osney And St. Thomas Ward | 97 | 6 | 103 | 94.2% |
Showing top 25 of 31 wards by volume. Your Pro Report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →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 |
|---|---|---|
| 22/00605/CPU St Clement's Ward | Application to certify that the proposed demolition of existing rear outbuilding | Approved |
| 22/00599/FUL St Marys Ward | Erection of part single, part two storey rear extension. Insertion of 1no. windo | Approved |
| 22/00541/FUL Carfax And Jericho Ward | Formation of a railing to south porch to match existing. | Approved |
| 22/00544/FUL Hinksey Park | Change of use from dwellinghouse (Use Class C3) to House in Multiple Occupation | Approved |
| 22/00506/FUL Wolvercote Ward | Erection of a single storey rear extension and formation of a first floor roof t | Approved |
| 22/00510/FUL St Marys Ward | Erection of a single storey rear extension. Alterations to existing rear extensi | Approved |
| 22/00459/FUL Summertown | Erection of a single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| 22/00491/FUL Blackbird Leys Ward | Demolition of 2no existing single storey buildings. Erection of 1no single store | Approved |
| 22/00474/FUL St Clement's Ward | Installation of 1no commercial kitchen extraction flue to the rear elevation. Al | Approved |
| 22/00568/CPU Hinksey Park | Application to certify that the proposed single storey rear extension with a fla | 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 Oxford's 5,477 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Dig deeper into Oxford's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 5,477 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Oxford is 91.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 5,477 planning decisions from Oxford council. 5,010 were approved and 467 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 PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.