South Gloucestershire Council approves 87.0% of planning applications, based on 15,481 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. South Gloucestershire sits 1.3 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,181 decided applications, South Gloucestershire Council approved 84.1% of planning applications in 2025. Across 15,481 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in South Gloucestershire is 87.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of South Gloucestershire council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in South Gloucestershire.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 7,813 | 1,345 | 9,158 | 85.3% |
| Other | 1,861 | 300 | 2,161 | 86.1% |
| Trees | 1,661 | 68 | 1,729 | 96.1% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1,029 | 170 | 1,199 | 85.8% |
| Listed Building | 572 | 36 | 608 | 94.1% |
| Prior Approval | 227 | 84 | 311 | 73.0% |
| Advertisement | 290 | 12 | 302 | 96.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 8 | 0 | 8 | 100.0% |
| Change of Use | 4 | 1 | 5 | 80.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boyd Valley | 1,239 | 209 | 1,448 | 85.6% |
| Frampton Cotterell | 1,193 | 238 | 1,431 | 83.4% |
| Severn Vale | 1,035 | 200 | 1,235 | 83.8% |
| Frenchay And Downend | 898 | 105 | 1,003 | 89.5% |
| Chipping Sodbury And Cotswold Edge | 864 | 100 | 964 | 89.6% |
| Filton | 710 | 118 | 828 | 85.7% |
| Thornbury | 645 | 70 | 715 | 90.2% |
| Winterbourne | 490 | 81 | 571 | 85.8% |
| Emersons Green | 513 | 51 | 564 | 91.0% |
| Bitton And Oldland Common | 490 | 63 | 553 | 88.6% |
| Staple Hill And Mangotsfield | 444 | 89 | 533 | 83.3% |
| Pilning And Severn Beach | 464 | 69 | 533 | 87.1% |
| Hanham | 428 | 62 | 490 | 87.3% |
| Stoke Gifford | 421 | 49 | 470 | 89.6% |
| Charfield | 355 | 59 | 414 | 85.7% |
| Longwell Green | 363 | 51 | 414 | 87.7% |
| Yate North | 363 | 45 | 408 | 89.0% |
| Charlton And Cribbs | 373 | 31 | 404 | 92.3% |
| Bradley Stoke North | 305 | 45 | 350 | 87.1% |
| Kingswood | 275 | 36 | 311 | 88.4% |
| Parkwall And Warmley | 246 | 34 | 280 | 87.9% |
| New Cheltenham | 203 | 37 | 240 | 84.6% |
| Yate Central | 206 | 29 | 235 | 87.7% |
| Woodstock | 173 | 36 | 209 | 82.8% |
| Bradley Stoke South | 179 | 27 | 206 | 86.9% |
Showing top 25 of 39 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How South Gloucestershire’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 5.7pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from South Gloucestershire council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| P26/01238/NMA Frampton Cotterell | Non Material Amendment to planning permission P24/02454/HH Remove roof overhang | Approved |
| P26/01021/CLP Parkwall And Warmley | Erection of single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| P26/00878/TRE Yate North | Works to crown reduce 1 no. Oak tree to leave a finished height of 9 metres and | Approved |
| P26/00760/F Parkwall And Warmley | Demolition of existing conservatory. Erection of single storey rear extension to | Approved |
| P26/00613/F Parkwall And Warmley | Change of existing property from residential (Use Class C3) to care home (Use Cl | Approved |
| P25/00911/LB Boyd Valley | Interior and exterior works to outbuilding to replace 3no. two storey glazed win | Approved |
| P25/00922/F Boyd Valley | Conversion of existing outbuilding to form a private 'garage and gym' (Class C3) | Approved |
| P24/00127/F Yate North | Demolition of modern barns. Erection of 3no. dwellings and associated garages, r | Approved |
| P26/01140/HH Emersons Green | Conversion of existing garage to form additional living accommodation including | Approved |
| P26/01122/PNH Yate Central | The erection of a single storey rear extension, which would extend beyond the re | 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 South Gloucestershire's 15,481 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare South Gloucestershire's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into South Gloucestershire'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 South Gloucestershire. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 15,481 real decisions from South Gloucestershire 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 South Gloucestershire'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 15,481 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in South Gloucestershire is 87.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 15,481 planning decisions from South Gloucestershire council. 13,465 were approved and 2,016 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in South Gloucestershire is 87.0%, 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.
Writing about planning in South Gloucestershire? 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.