Solihull planning approval rate
Solihull council approved 92.0% of planning applications and refused 8.0%, based on 5,829 decisions analysed. Ranked 171st out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
92.0%
overall approval rate
5,829
Decisions analysed
5,361
Approved
468
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.
92.6%
93.7%
99.1%
81.0%
80.3%
90.4%
86.0%
96.1%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Solihull, mined from 5,829 proposal descriptions.
91.2%
92.6%
94.4%
95.4%
94.7%
91.5%
90.0%
92.2%
93.2%
92.0%
85.9%
81.4%
86.0%
92.9%
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%
Blythe
93.4%
Dorridge And Hockley Heath
93.6%
Olton
93.2%
Bickenhill
92.5%
Silhill
92.7%
Meriden
89.8%
Shirley South
92.9%
Shirley West
92.9%
Elmdon
89.7%
Lyndon
90.0%
Shirley East
90.9%
Castle Bromwich
85.6%
Meriden & Arden
89.2%
Dorridge & Hockley Heath
93.3%
St Alphege With Monkspath & Hillfield
95.5%
Not Applicable
87.6%
Shirley East & Sharmans Cross
87.3%
Chelmsley Wood
91.1%
Wards in Solihull
St Alphege
92.8% approval · 503 decisions
Knowle
93.5% approval · 492 decisions
Blythe
93.4% approval · 427 decisions
Dorridge And Hockley Heath
93.6% approval · 422 decisions
Olton
93.2% approval · 414 decisions
Bickenhill
92.5% approval · 413 decisions
Silhill
92.7% approval · 384 decisions
Meriden
89.8% approval · 381 decisions
Shirley South
92.9% approval · 367 decisions
Shirley West
92.9% approval · 252 decisions
Elmdon
89.7% approval · 242 decisions
Lyndon
90.0% approval · 241 decisions
Shirley East
90.9% approval · 241 decisions
Castle Bromwich
85.6% approval · 208 decisions
Meriden & Arden
89.2% approval · 185 decisions
Dorridge & Hockley Heath
93.3% approval · 149 decisions
St Alphege With Monkspath & Hillfield
95.5% approval · 134 decisions
Not Applicable
87.6% approval · 129 decisions
Shirley East & Sharmans Cross
87.3% approval · 63 decisions
Chelmsley Wood
91.1% approval · 56 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Solihull, showing how the council decides real applications.
Single storey rear extension and first floor rear extension. · Shirley West · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Gable wall/roof amendment rear dormer and front facing Veluxs. · Castle Bromwich · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Two storey rear extension, single storey front extension and pitched roof over g · Dorridge & Hockley Heath · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Solihull, 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 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 5,829 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Solihull
What is the planning approval rate in Solihull?
Based on 5,829 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Solihull approved 92.0% of applications and refused 8.0%. The council is ranked 171st out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Solihull?
Solihull refuses 8.0% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 12. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 5,829 decided applications since 2020, 468 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 (95.5%), Dorridge And Hockley Heath (93.6%), and Knowle (93.5%). 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 (3,484 decisions, 92.6% approved), Trees (710, 93.7%), and Discharge of Conditions (587, 99.1%).
How long does a planning application take in Solihull?
Planning applications in Solihull take an average of 10.6 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 5,806 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 972 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 5,829 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.