Oxford planning approval rate
Oxford council approved 91.4% of planning applications and refused 8.6%, based on 5,623 decisions analysed. Ranked 153rd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
91.4%
overall approval rate
5,623
Decisions analysed
5,138
Approved
485
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.
87.5%
99.5%
97.7%
89.4%
98.0%
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 5,623 proposal descriptions.
88.9%
85.0%
91.2%
84.5%
90.7%
87.6%
77.4%
82.8%
91.3%
83.8%
87.8%
89.9%
89.4%
97.6%
81.1%
62.9%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Oxford. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Holywell Ward
98.9%
Headington Ward
89.2%
Carfax Ward
95.6%
Headington Hill And Northway Ward
87.6%
Wolvercote Ward
96.6%
Marston Ward
87.0%
North Ward
98.4%
Quarry And Risinghurst Ward
89.7%
Cowley Ward
85.7%
Jericho And Osney Ward
91.3%
St Clement's Ward
89.3%
St Margarets Ward
97.0%
St Marys Ward
93.9%
Summertown Ward
93.8%
Lye Valley Ward
80.4%
Rose Hill And Iffley Ward
85.9%
Carfax And Jericho Ward
97.7%
Littlemore Ward
86.0%
Churchill Ward
88.2%
Summertown
96.9%
Wards in Oxford
Holywell Ward
98.9% approval · 364 decisions
Headington Ward
89.2% approval · 314 decisions
Carfax Ward
95.6% approval · 273 decisions
Headington Hill And Northway Ward
87.6% approval · 266 decisions
Wolvercote Ward
96.6% approval · 262 decisions
Marston Ward
87.0% approval · 254 decisions
North Ward
98.4% approval · 243 decisions
Quarry And Risinghurst Ward
89.7% approval · 243 decisions
Cowley Ward
85.7% approval · 237 decisions
Jericho And Osney Ward
91.3% approval · 208 decisions
St Clement's Ward
89.3% approval · 206 decisions
St Margarets Ward
97.0% approval · 199 decisions
St Marys Ward
93.9% approval · 198 decisions
Summertown Ward
93.8% approval · 192 decisions
Lye Valley Ward
80.4% approval · 184 decisions
Rose Hill And Iffley Ward
85.9% approval · 184 decisions
Carfax And Jericho Ward
97.7% approval · 174 decisions
Littlemore Ward
86.0% approval · 172 decisions
Churchill Ward
88.2% approval · 161 decisions
Summertown
96.9% approval · 160 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Oxford, showing how the council decides real applications.
Application to certify that the proposed development to the existing dwellinghou · Osney And St. Thomas Ward · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Application to certify that the proposed alterations to roof to form hip to gabl · Headington Hill And Northway Ward · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Installation of fire curtain and replacement of 1no. fire escape stair with a ne · Churchill Ward · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 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 5,623 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Oxford
What is the planning approval rate in Oxford?
Based on 5,623 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Oxford approved 91.4% of applications and refused 8.6%. The council is ranked 153rd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Oxford?
Oxford refuses 8.6% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 12. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 5,623 decided applications since 2020, 485 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 (98.9%), North Ward (98.4%), and Carfax And Jericho 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 (2,442 decisions, 87.5% approved), Trees (1,180, 99.5%), and Discharge of Conditions (791, 97.7%).
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 5,598 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 937 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 5,623 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.