South Gloucestershire planning approval rate

South Gloucestershire council approved 86.9% of planning applications and refused 13.1%, based on 15,285 decisions analysed. Ranked 59th out of 221 councils for strictness.

Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

86.9%

overall approval rate

15,285

Decisions analysed

13,283

Approved

2,002

Refused

Wards covered

Planning in South Gloucestershire? 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 South Gloucestershire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.

Full (9,056 decided)

85.2%

Other (2,133 decided)

86.0%

Trees (1,701 decided)

96.1%

Certificate of Lawfulness (1,174 decided)

85.9%

Listed Building (601 decided)

94.0%

Prior Approval (307 decided)

72.6%

Advertisement (300 decided)

96.0%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in South Gloucestershire — mined from 15,285 proposal descriptions.

Rear Extension (3,783 decided)

90.8%

New Build (2,652 decided)

76.5%

Garage / Parking (2,564 decided)

83.2%

Side Extension (2,420 decided)

86.9%

Dormer (1,033 decided)

82.1%

Change of Use (Residential) (1,011 decided)

80.2%

Outbuilding (839 decided)

84.5%

Loft Conversion (691 decided)

79.5%

Front Extension (632 decided)

84.5%

Extension (General) (572 decided)

81.8%

Conservatory (452 decided)

91.8%

Wraparound Extension (412 decided)

90.3%

Annex (380 decided)

78.9%

HMO (294 decided)

77.9%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (224 decided)

83.0%

Flat Conversion (42 decided)

78.6%

Basement (39 decided)

89.7%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within South Gloucestershire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

Boyd Valley (1,428 decided)

85.4%

Frampton Cotterell (1,404 decided)

83.4%

Severn Vale (1,220 decided)

83.9%

Frenchay And Downend (991 decided)

89.5%

Chipping Sodbury And Cotswold Edge (951 decided)

89.5%

Filton (818 decided)

85.6%

Thornbury (707 decided)

90.1%

Winterbourne (564 decided)

85.8%

Emersons Green (556 decided)

90.8%

Bitton And Oldland Common (546 decided)

88.6%

Pilning And Severn Beach (527 decided)

86.9%

Staple Hill And Mangotsfield (525 decided)

83.4%

Hanham (485 decided)

87.2%

Stoke Gifford (464 decided)

89.4%

Charfield (410 decided)

85.6%

Longwell Green (409 decided)

87.5%

Yate North (400 decided)

88.8%

Charlton And Cribbs (399 decided)

92.2%

Bradley Stoke North (349 decided)

87.1%

Kingswood (308 decided)

88.3%

Wards in South Gloucestershire

Boyd Valley

85.4% approval · 1,428 decisions

Frampton Cotterell

83.4% approval · 1,404 decisions

Severn Vale

83.9% approval · 1,220 decisions

Frenchay And Downend

89.5% approval · 991 decisions

Chipping Sodbury And Cotswold Edge

89.5% approval · 951 decisions

Filton

85.6% approval · 818 decisions

Thornbury

90.1% approval · 707 decisions

Winterbourne

85.8% approval · 564 decisions

Emersons Green

90.8% approval · 556 decisions

Bitton And Oldland Common

88.6% approval · 546 decisions

Pilning And Severn Beach

86.9% approval · 527 decisions

Staple Hill And Mangotsfield

83.4% approval · 525 decisions

Hanham

87.2% approval · 485 decisions

Stoke Gifford

89.4% approval · 464 decisions

Charfield

85.6% approval · 410 decisions

Longwell Green

87.5% approval · 409 decisions

Yate North

88.8% approval · 400 decisions

Charlton And Cribbs

92.2% approval · 399 decisions

Bradley Stoke North

87.1% approval · 349 decisions

Kingswood

88.3% approval · 308 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in South Gloucestershire, showing how the council decides real applications.

P25/02616/HH

Extension of existing conservatory to form additional living accommodation. · Chipping Sodbury And Cotswold Edge · Wed 31 Dec 2025

Approved

P25/02564/HH

Erection of single storey front extension to existing garage. · Chipping Sodbury And Cotswold Edge · Wed 31 Dec 2025

Approved

P25/02540/HH

Conversion of existing garage and erection of first floor and single storey rear · Staple Hill And Mangotsfield · Wed 31 Dec 2025

Refused

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →

What gets approved near your property?

In South Gloucestershire, 1 in 8 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:

✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in South Gloucestershire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Get South Gloucestershire Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 15,285 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

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