Solihull planning approval rate
Solihull council approved 92.5% of planning applications and refused 7.5%, based on 5,467 decisions analysed. Ranked 173rd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
92.5%
overall approval rate
5,467
Decisions analysed
5,058
Approved
409
Refused
23
Wards covered
Planning in Solihull? 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 Solihull. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
93.2%
94.3%
99.3%
81.5%
78.6%
89.3%
86.6%
95.8%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Solihull, mined from 5,467 proposal descriptions.
91.7%
93.0%
95.1%
95.9%
95.9%
93.4%
91.5%
92.3%
93.9%
94.5%
84.9%
87.8%
87.2%
91.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Solihull. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
St Alphege
92.8%
Knowle
93.5%
Dorridge And Hockley Heath
93.6%
Blythe
94.5%
Bickenhill
92.5%
Olton
94.8%
Meriden
89.8%
Silhill
92.9%
Shirley South
94.7%
Shirley East
90.9%
Shirley West
93.6%
Elmdon
90.2%
Lyndon
90.5%
Castle Bromwich
86.6%
Meriden & Arden
91.9%
Dorridge & Hockley Heath
93.9%
Not Applicable
91.2%
St Alphege With Monkspath & Hillfield
95.3%
Chelmsley Wood
90.9%
Shirley East & Sharmans Cross
86.4%
Wards in Solihull
St Alphege
92.8% approval · 503 decisions
Knowle
93.5% approval · 459 decisions
Dorridge And Hockley Heath
93.6% approval · 422 decisions
Blythe
94.5% approval · 416 decisions
Bickenhill
92.5% approval · 413 decisions
Olton
94.8% approval · 382 decisions
Meriden
89.8% approval · 381 decisions
Silhill
92.9% approval · 365 decisions
Shirley South
94.7% approval · 340 decisions
Shirley East
90.9% approval · 241 decisions
Shirley West
93.6% approval · 234 decisions
Elmdon
90.2% approval · 224 decisions
Lyndon
90.5% approval · 222 decisions
Castle Bromwich
86.6% approval · 194 decisions
Meriden & Arden
91.9% approval · 136 decisions
Dorridge & Hockley Heath
93.9% approval · 114 decisions
Not Applicable
91.2% approval · 113 decisions
St Alphege With Monkspath & Hillfield
95.3% approval · 106 decisions
Chelmsley Wood
90.9% approval · 55 decisions
Shirley East & Sharmans Cross
86.4% approval · 44 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Solihull, showing how the council decides real applications.
Part two storey, part single storey rear extension, first floor side extension, · Shirley East & Sharmans Cross · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Erection of a single storey front extension. · Castle Bromwich · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Solar panel installation to front elevation roof line. · Elmdon · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Solihull, 1 in 13 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 Solihull
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Solihull →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Solihull
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 5,467 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Solihull
What is the planning approval rate in Solihull?
Based on 5,467 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Solihull approved 92.5% of applications and refused 7.5%. The council is ranked 173rd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Solihull?
Solihull refuses 7.5% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 13. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 5,467 decided applications since 2020, 409 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Solihull have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Solihull are in St Alphege With Monkspath & Hillfield (95.3%), Olton (94.8%), and Shirley South (94.7%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Solihull?
The most common planning application types in Solihull are: Full (3,294 decisions, 93.2% approved), Trees (670, 94.3%), and Discharge of Conditions (545, 99.3%).
How long does a planning application take in Solihull?
Planning applications in Solihull take an average of 10.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 5,445 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. Solihull decides approximately 911 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Solihull?
You can search planning applications in Solihull directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 5,467 historical decisions in Solihull to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Solihull calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Solihull'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.