South Kesteven Council approves 91.4% of planning applications, based on 5,968 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. South Kesteven sits 6.4 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,777 decided applications, South Kesteven Council approved 92.4% of planning applications in 2025. Across 5,968 decisions on record (February 2021 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in South Kesteven is 91.4%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of South Kesteven council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 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 Kesteven.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 4,237 | 387 | 4,624 | 91.6% |
| Trees | 1,734 | 43 | 1,777 | 97.6% |
| Other | 1,520 | 81 | 1,601 | 94.9% |
| Listed Building | 850 | 54 | 904 | 94.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 355 | 0 | 355 | 100.0% |
| Prior Approval | 238 | 75 | 313 | 76.0% |
| Advertisement | 168 | 15 | 183 | 91.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 19 | 2 | 21 | 90.5% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stamford St Marys | 978 | 52 | 1,030 | 95.0% |
| Belvoir | 618 | 31 | 649 | 95.2% |
| Grantham St Wulframs | 513 | 29 | 542 | 94.6% |
| Casewick | 494 | 45 | 539 | 91.7% |
| Peascliffe And Ridgeway | 464 | 41 | 505 | 91.9% |
| Viking | 433 | 53 | 486 | 89.1% |
| Glen | 418 | 42 | 460 | 90.9% |
| Isaac Newton | 390 | 22 | 412 | 94.7% |
| Market And West Deeping | 377 | 25 | 402 | 93.8% |
| Loveden Heath | 363 | 28 | 391 | 92.8% |
| Lincrest | 353 | 35 | 388 | 91.0% |
| Castle | 327 | 27 | 354 | 92.4% |
| Deeping St James | 315 | 27 | 342 | 92.1% |
| Grantham St Vincents | 314 | 20 | 334 | 94.0% |
| Bourne East | 246 | 15 | 261 | 94.3% |
| Bourne Austerby | 223 | 15 | 238 | 93.7% |
| Stamford St Georges | 226 | 11 | 237 | 95.4% |
| Stamford St Johns | 227 | 8 | 235 | 96.6% |
| Toller | 218 | 7 | 225 | 96.9% |
| Stamford All Saints | 196 | 13 | 209 | 93.8% |
| Aveland | 184 | 22 | 206 | 89.3% |
| Belmont | 172 | 16 | 188 | 91.5% |
| Bourne West | 165 | 16 | 181 | 91.2% |
| Dole Wood | 155 | 17 | 172 | 90.1% |
| Morton | 125 | 7 | 132 | 94.7% |
Showing top 25 of 31 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How South Kesteven’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 2.2pp since 2021.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from South Kesteven council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| S26/1334 Bourne East | Proposed two storey side extension | Approved |
| S26/1225 Viking | Internal alterations, rear two storey extension and single storey section. Const | Approved |
| S26/1260 Bourne West | Single-storey side extension with hipped roof, incorporating bedroom, en-suite, | Approved |
| S26/1341 Grantham Arnoldfield | Single storey flat roof extension to rear. Internal and external alterations (re | Approved |
| S25/0619 Market And West Deeping | Retrospective application for a wall and fence, a wood burner flue, two roofligh | Approved |
| S25/0670 Market And West Deeping | Retrospective application for a wall and fence, a wood burner flue, two roofligh | Approved |
| S26/1331 Lincrest | Proposed vehicular entrance gates, ashlar stone piers, plinth walling and wrough | Refused |
| S26/1123 Toller | Installation of one internal wall-mounted air conditioning unit, together with a | Approved |
| S26/0423 Stamford St Marys | Change of use of School building (Use Class F1) to Residential Dwelling (Use Cla | Approved |
| S25/1082 Stamford St Marys | Hybrid Application for Full Planning Permission for the conversion of the infirm | 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 Kesteven's 5,968 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare South Kesteven's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
More council comparisons coming soon.
Dig deeper into South Kesteven'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 Kesteven. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 5,968 real decisions from South Kesteven 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 Kesteven'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 5,968 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in South Kesteven is 91.4%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 5,968 planning decisions from South Kesteven council. 5,453 were approved and 515 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, February 2021 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in South Kesteven is 91.4%, 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 Kesteven? 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.