Portsmouth Council approves 86.5% of planning applications, based on 6,336 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Portsmouth sits 1.5 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 984 decided applications, Portsmouth Council approved 88.3% of planning applications in 2025. Across 6,336 decisions on record (January 2018 to March 2026), the overall approval rate in Portsmouth is 86.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Portsmouth council planning portal records · Data to 3 March 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 Portsmouth.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 4,166 | 641 | 4,807 | 86.7% |
| Other | 1,145 | 151 | 1,296 | 88.3% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 812 | 28 | 840 | 96.7% |
| Trees | 677 | 70 | 747 | 90.6% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 494 | 44 | 538 | 91.8% |
| Advertisement | 415 | 34 | 449 | 92.4% |
| Listed Building | 274 | 20 | 294 | 93.2% |
| Prior Approval | 169 | 74 | 243 | 69.5% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drayton & Farlington | 986 | 131 | 1,117 | 88.3% |
| St Jude | 908 | 138 | 1,046 | 86.8% |
| St Thomas | 905 | 116 | 1,021 | 88.6% |
| Charles Dickens | 733 | 79 | 812 | 90.3% |
| Central Southsea | 604 | 98 | 702 | 86.0% |
| Cosham | 618 | 70 | 688 | 89.8% |
| Eastney & Craneswater | 540 | 81 | 621 | 87.0% |
| Copnor | 500 | 60 | 560 | 89.3% |
| Milton | 495 | 44 | 539 | 91.8% |
| Hilsea | 458 | 55 | 513 | 89.3% |
| Baffins | 416 | 46 | 462 | 90.0% |
| Nelson | 373 | 60 | 433 | 86.1% |
| Paulsgrove | 323 | 33 | 356 | 90.7% |
| Fratton | 240 | 48 | 288 | 83.3% |
How Portsmouth’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 3.8pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Portsmouth council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00044/HOU St Thomas | Retrospective application for replacement of first floor windows | Approved |
| 25/01504/FUL Hilsea | Change of use from house in multiple occupation (Class C4) to 7 person/7 bedroom | Approved |
| 25/01377/ADV St Jude | Retention of 2 non illuminated signs on boundary wall adjacent to car park entra | Approved |
| 25/01376/FUL St Jude | Retention of a pole with cctv camera to rear car park | Approved |
| 25/00916/FUL Drayton & Farlington | Redevelopment of existing buildings to form 9no. residential units with retentio | Approved |
| 25/01515/FUL Milton | Change of use from dwellinghouse (Class C3) to purposes falling within dwellingh | Approved |
| 25/01354/HOU Eastney & Craneswater | Construction of two storey side extension with gable roof and front porch, remov | Approved |
| 25/01500/FUL Fratton | Partial demolition to east side/rear elevation and other elevational alterations | Approved |
| 25/01066/LBC St Thomas | Internal works to increase size of opening between kitchen and dining room by re | Approved |
| 25/00981/HOU St Thomas | Construction of additional storey; external alterations to include installation | 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 Portsmouth's 6,336 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Portsmouth's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Portsmouth'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 Portsmouth. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 6,336 real decisions from Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth'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 6,336 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Portsmouth is 86.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 6,336 planning decisions from Portsmouth council. 5,479 were approved and 857 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2018 to March 2026.
The average approval rate in Portsmouth is 86.5%, 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 Portsmouth? 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.