Rugby Council approves 94.0% of planning applications, based on 13,912 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rugby sits 5.4 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 948 decided applications, Rugby Council approved 94.7% of planning applications in 2025. The average time from validation to decision in Rugby is 9.5 weeks, measured across 13,803 decided applications. Across 13,912 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Rugby is 94.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Rugby 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 Rugby.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 8,605 | 656 | 9,261 | 92.9% |
| Trees | 1,676 | 39 | 1,715 | 97.7% |
| Prior Approval | 724 | 35 | 759 | 95.4% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 653 | 6 | 659 | 99.1% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 431 | 29 | 460 | 93.7% |
| Listed Building | 430 | 6 | 436 | 98.6% |
| Advertisement | 359 | 28 | 387 | 92.8% |
| Change of Use | 202 | 33 | 235 | 86.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunsmore | 1,778 | 106 | 1,884 | 94.4% |
| Revel & Binley Woods | 1,377 | 140 | 1,517 | 90.8% |
| Eastlands | 861 | 35 | 896 | 96.1% |
| Wolston & the Lawfords | 825 | 47 | 872 | 94.6% |
| Leam Valley | 736 | 69 | 805 | 91.4% |
| Paddox | 731 | 24 | 755 | 96.8% |
| Benn | 682 | 54 | 736 | 92.7% |
| Wolvey & Shilton | 564 | 84 | 648 | 87.0% |
| Bilton | 553 | 20 | 573 | 96.5% |
| Clifton, Newton & Churchover | 536 | 35 | 571 | 93.9% |
| Newbold & Brownsover | 544 | 24 | 568 | 95.8% |
| Hillmorton | 514 | 41 | 555 | 92.6% |
| Rokeby & Overslade | 409 | 11 | 420 | 97.4% |
| New Bilton | 356 | 30 | 386 | 92.2% |
| Admirals & Cawston | 324 | 24 | 348 | 93.1% |
| Coton & Boughton | 320 | 19 | 339 | 94.4% |
| Bilton, Dunsmore | 24 | 3 | 27 | 88.9% |
| Bilton, Rokeby & Overslade | 20 | 1 | 21 | 95.2% |
| Coton & Boughton, Clifton, Newton & Churchover | 14 | 0 | 14 | 100.0% |
| Admirals & Cawston, Bilton | 13 | 0 | 13 | 100.0% |
| Hillmorton, Paddox | 9 | 2 | 11 | 81.8% |
| Eastlands, Paddox | 10 | 0 | 10 | 100.0% |
| Clifton, Newton & Churchover, Hillmorton | 9 | 1 | 10 | 90.0% |
| Dunsmore, Wolston & the Lawfords | 8 | 0 | 8 | 100.0% |
| Revel & Binley Woods, Wolston & the Lawfords | 6 | 1 | 7 | 85.7% |
Showing top 25 of 28 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Rugby’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 2.8pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Rugby council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| R26/0069 Revel & Binley Woods | Retrospective extension of existing gypsy and traveller site by 3 residential pi | Refused |
| R26/0462 Clifton, Newton & Churchover | Erection of a single storey log cabin / garden room. | Approved |
| R26/0492 Dunsmore | Single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| R26/0607 Wolston & the Lawfords | Prior approval for change of use of agricultural building to dwellinghouse | Approved |
| R26/0376 Clifton, Newton & Churchover | Single storey rear and side extension and front canopy | Approved |
| R26/0293 Bilton | Proposed second storey side extension. | Refused |
| R26/0503 Hillmorton | Retrospective application for the erection of a timber shed. | Approved |
| R26/0486 Paddox | Two storey rear extension, new side window at first floor and external wall i | Approved |
| R26/0464 Eastlands | Single storey side and rear extension. | Approved |
| R25/0225 Dunsmore | Change of Use of residential garage to be used as cosmetic medical services. | 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 Rugby's 13,912 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Rugby's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Rugby'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 Rugby. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 13,912 real decisions from Rugby 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 Rugby'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 13,912 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Rugby is 94.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 13,912 planning decisions from Rugby council. 13,080 were approved and 832 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Rugby is 94.0%, 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.
The average time from validation to decision in Rugby is 9.5 weeks, measured across 13,803 decided applications. This PlanningLens figure is calculated from decision dates published by Rugby council itself, reflecting actual elapsed time rather than statutory targets.
Writing about planning in Rugby? 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.