South Kesteven planning approval rate
South Kesteven council approved 93.3% of planning applications and refused 6.7%, based on 9,588 decisions analysed. Ranked 201st out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
93.3%
overall approval rate
9,588
Decisions analysed
8,947
Approved
641
Refused
31
Wards covered
Planning in South Kesteven? 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 Kesteven. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
91.7%
97.8%
94.9%
94.0%
100.0%
75.8%
91.6%
90.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in South Kesteven, mined from 9,588 proposal descriptions.
91.7%
95.8%
93.1%
95.2%
81.1%
94.5%
95.8%
95.3%
87.7%
86.9%
94.6%
96.6%
87.5%
66.7%
95.2%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within South Kesteven. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Stamford St Marys Ward
95.0%
Belvoir Ward
95.1%
Grantham St Wulframs Ward
94.5%
Casewick Ward
91.7%
Peascliffe And Ridgeway Ward
92.0%
Viking Ward
88.8%
Glen Ward
90.9%
Isaac Newton Ward
94.6%
Market And West Deeping Ward
94.1%
Lincrest Ward
91.4%
Loveden Heath Ward
92.7%
Castle Ward
92.6%
Deeping St James Ward
92.6%
Grantham St Vincents Ward
93.9%
Bourne East Ward
94.1%
Bourne Austerby Ward
93.6%
Stamford St Johns Ward
96.5%
Stamford St Georges Ward
95.2%
Toller Ward
96.8%
Stamford All Saints Ward
93.8%
Wards in South Kesteven
Stamford St Marys Ward
95.0% approval · 1,003 decisions
Belvoir Ward
95.1% approval · 639 decisions
Grantham St Wulframs Ward
94.5% approval · 530 decisions
Casewick Ward
91.7% approval · 530 decisions
Peascliffe And Ridgeway Ward
92.0% approval · 501 decisions
Viking Ward
88.8% approval · 473 decisions
Glen Ward
90.9% approval · 449 decisions
Isaac Newton Ward
94.6% approval · 405 decisions
Market And West Deeping Ward
94.1% approval · 390 decisions
Lincrest Ward
91.4% approval · 383 decisions
Loveden Heath Ward
92.7% approval · 383 decisions
Castle Ward
92.6% approval · 349 decisions
Deeping St James Ward
92.6% approval · 337 decisions
Grantham St Vincents Ward
93.9% approval · 328 decisions
Bourne East Ward
94.1% approval · 256 decisions
Bourne Austerby Ward
93.6% approval · 236 decisions
Stamford St Johns Ward
96.5% approval · 229 decisions
Stamford St Georges Ward
95.2% approval · 229 decisions
Toller Ward
96.8% approval · 219 decisions
Stamford All Saints Ward
93.8% approval · 209 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in South Kesteven, showing how the council decides real applications.
Demolition of the existing conservatory and construction of a single-storey rear · Bourne East Ward · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Remove Scots Pine tree and plant replacement tree. (TPO-36). · Deeping St James Ward · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Redesign of the principal elevation including alterations to the existing dormer · Stamford St Marys Ward · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In South Kesteven, 1 in 15 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 South Kesteven
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for South Kesteven →
✓ Common refusal reasons in South Kesteven
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 9,588 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in South Kesteven
What is the planning approval rate in South Kesteven?
Based on 9,588 planning decisions analysed since 2020, South Kesteven approved 93.3% of applications and refused 6.7%. The council is ranked 201st out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in South Kesteven?
South Kesteven refuses 6.7% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 15. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 9,588 decided applications since 2020, 641 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of South Kesteven have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in South Kesteven are in Not Applicable (100.0%), Grantham Earlesfield Ward (98.1%), and Grantham Harrowby Ward (97.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in South Kesteven?
The most common planning application types in South Kesteven are: Full (4,548 decisions, 91.7% approved), Trees (1,750, 97.8%), and Other (1,560, 94.9%).
How long does a planning application take in South Kesteven?
Planning applications in South Kesteven take an average of 10.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 9,556 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. South Kesteven decides approximately 1,598 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in South Kesteven?
You can search planning applications in South Kesteven directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 9,588 historical decisions in South Kesteven to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for South Kesteven calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes South Kesteven'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.