Oxford planning approval rate
Oxford council approved 91.5% of planning applications and refused 8.5%, based on 6,203 decisions analysed. Ranked 158th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
91.5%
overall approval rate
6,203
Decisions analysed
5,677
Approved
526
Refused
31
Wards covered
Planning in Oxford? 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 Oxford. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
87.6%
99.5%
97.8%
89.8%
98.2%
88.3%
73.3%
85.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Oxford, mined from 6,203 proposal descriptions.
88.6%
85.3%
90.7%
85.2%
90.4%
88.1%
78.0%
82.8%
91.0%
84.1%
87.3%
89.9%
98.0%
87.6%
81.5%
64.9%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Oxford. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Holywell Ward
99.0%
Headington Ward
89.9%
Headington Hill And Northway Ward
88.8%
Wolvercote Ward
96.8%
Carfax Ward
95.6%
Marston Ward
87.5%
Quarry And Risinghurst Ward
88.4%
Cowley Ward
84.6%
North Ward
98.4%
Carfax And Jericho Ward
97.4%
St Clement's Ward
88.9%
St Marys Ward
94.4%
Walton Manor Ward
97.7%
Summertown
96.2%
Jericho And Osney Ward
91.3%
St Margarets Ward
97.0%
Rose Hill And Iffley Ward
86.9%
Summertown Ward
93.8%
Lye Valley Ward
80.5%
Littlemore Ward
87.1%
Wards in Oxford
Holywell Ward
99.0% approval · 413 decisions
Headington Ward
89.9% approval · 347 decisions
Headington Hill And Northway Ward
88.8% approval · 303 decisions
Wolvercote Ward
96.8% approval · 280 decisions
Carfax Ward
95.6% approval · 273 decisions
Marston Ward
87.5% approval · 272 decisions
Quarry And Risinghurst Ward
88.4% approval · 268 decisions
Cowley Ward
84.6% approval · 254 decisions
North Ward
98.4% approval · 243 decisions
Carfax And Jericho Ward
97.4% approval · 229 decisions
St Clement's Ward
88.9% approval · 226 decisions
St Marys Ward
94.4% approval · 216 decisions
Walton Manor Ward
97.7% approval · 215 decisions
Summertown
96.2% approval · 213 decisions
Jericho And Osney Ward
91.3% approval · 208 decisions
St Margarets Ward
97.0% approval · 199 decisions
Rose Hill And Iffley Ward
86.9% approval · 198 decisions
Summertown Ward
93.8% approval · 192 decisions
Lye Valley Ward
80.5% approval · 190 decisions
Littlemore Ward
87.1% approval · 186 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Oxford, showing how the council decides real applications.
Demolition of existing rear conservatory. Erection of a single storey rear exten · Cutteslowe And Sunnymead Ward · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Installation of secondary glazing to windows of the basement cafe. · Carfax And Jericho Ward · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Change of use of dwellinghouse (Use Class C3) to a House in Multiple Occupation · St Marys Ward · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Oxford, 1 in 12 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 Oxford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Oxford →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Oxford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 6,203 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Oxford
What is the planning approval rate in Oxford?
Based on 6,203 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Oxford approved 91.5% of applications and refused 8.5%. The council is ranked 158th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Oxford?
Oxford refuses 8.5% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 12. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 6,203 decided applications since 2020, 526 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Oxford have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Oxford are in Holywell Ward (99.0%), North Ward (98.4%), and Walton Manor Ward (97.7%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Oxford?
The most common planning application types in Oxford are: Full (2,629 decisions, 87.6% approved), Trees (1,336, 99.5%), and Discharge of Conditions (890, 97.8%).
How long does a planning application take in Oxford?
Planning applications in Oxford take an average of 9.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 6,173 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. Oxford decides approximately 1,034 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Oxford?
You can search planning applications in Oxford directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 6,203 historical decisions in Oxford to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Oxford calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Oxford'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.