Rugby Council approves 93.2% of planning applications, based on 10,520 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rugby sits 8.2 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 typical time from validation to decision in Rugby is 6.9 weeks, the median across 6,727 applications decided since January 2020. Across 10,520 decisions on record (June 2013 to October 2026), the overall approval rate in Rugby is 93.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Rugby council planning portal records · Data to 2 October 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 | 8,651 | 660 | 9,311 | 92.9% |
| Trees | 1,697 | 39 | 1,736 | 97.8% |
| Prior Approval | 728 | 35 | 763 | 95.4% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 671 | 6 | 677 | 99.1% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 434 | 30 | 464 | 93.5% |
| Listed Building | 433 | 6 | 439 | 98.6% |
| Advertisement | 363 | 28 | 391 | 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 | 1,790 | 106 | 1,896 | 94.4% |
| Revel & Binley Woods | 1,381 | 140 | 1,521 | 90.8% |
| Eastlands | 866 | 36 | 902 | 96.0% |
| Wolston & the Lawfords | 831 | 47 | 878 | 94.6% |
| Leam Valley | 740 | 69 | 809 | 91.5% |
| Paddox | 733 | 24 | 757 | 96.8% |
| Benn | 684 | 54 | 738 | 92.7% |
| Wolvey & Shilton | 568 | 84 | 652 | 87.1% |
| Bilton | 556 | 20 | 576 | 96.5% |
| Clifton, Newton & Churchover | 541 | 35 | 576 | 93.9% |
| Newbold & Brownsover | 546 | 24 | 570 | 95.8% |
| Hillmorton | 516 | 41 | 557 | 92.6% |
| Rokeby & Overslade | 410 | 11 | 421 | 97.4% |
| New Bilton | 359 | 30 | 389 | 92.3% |
| Admirals & Cawston | 324 | 24 | 348 | 93.1% |
| Coton & Boughton | 323 | 20 | 343 | 94.2% |
| Bilton, Dunsmore | 24 | 4 | 28 | 85.7% |
| Bilton, Rokeby & Overslade | 21 | 1 | 22 | 95.5% |
| 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 2.6pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| R26/0318 Clifton, Newton & Churchover | Proposed first floor extension, single storey rear extension, new roof with dorm | Approved |
| R26/0368 | Proposed 2.4m high fence and erection of gates to existing car park. | Refused |
| R26/0575 Hillmorton | Installation of air source heat pump to rear of property | Approved |
| R26/0591 Wolston & the Lawfords | Two storey side and first floor rear extension with log burner flue to side elev | Approved |
| R26/0666 Bilton | Single storey rear flat roof extension with glass lantern to replace conservator | Approved |
| R26/0673 Revel & Binley Woods | Removal of existing ground floor conservatory and erection of a single-storey re | Approved |
| R25/0117 Newbold & Brownsover | Change of use from non-food bulky comparison goods retailing to a mix of conveni | Approved |
| R26/0393 Eastlands | Proposed Change of Use to convert existing ground floor garages to office space | Approved |
| R26/0645 Dunsmore | Convert existing carport to habitable area to include a WC and WHB . Installatio | Approved |
| R26/0653 | Single Storey Rear Extension and Alterations to the Front Elevation | 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 10,520 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 10,520 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 10,520 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Rugby is 93.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 10,520 planning decisions from Rugby council. 9,802 were approved and 718 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, June 2013 to October 2026.
The average approval rate in Rugby is 93.2%, 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 typical time from validation to decision in Rugby is 6.9 weeks, the median across 6,727 applications decided since January 2020. 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.