South Kesteven planning approval rate
South Kesteven council approved 93.3% of planning applications and refused 6.7%, based on 9,364 decisions analysed. Ranked 187th out of 279 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
93.3%
overall approval rate
9,364
Decisions analysed
8,741
Approved
623
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%
97.7%
95.0%
94.0%
100.0%
75.7%
91.5%
90.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in South Kesteven — mined from 9,364 proposal descriptions.
91.7%
95.8%
93.1%
95.4%
80.7%
94.4%
96.8%
95.1%
87.6%
87.4%
94.6%
96.6%
87.5%
95.2%
73.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within South Kesteven. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Stamford St Marys Ward
95.1%
Belvoir Ward
95.2%
Casewick Ward
91.8%
Grantham St Wulframs Ward
94.7%
Peascliffe And Ridgeway Ward
91.8%
Viking Ward
88.8%
Glen Ward
91.0%
Isaac Newton Ward
94.7%
Market And West Deeping Ward
94.0%
Lincrest Ward
91.8%
Loveden Heath Ward
92.7%
Castle Ward
93.0%
Deeping St James Ward
92.4%
Grantham St Vincents Ward
93.8%
Bourne East Ward
94.0%
Bourne Austerby Ward
93.6%
Stamford St Johns Ward
96.5%
Stamford St Georges Ward
95.6%
Toller Ward
96.8%
Stamford All Saints Ward
94.2%
Wards in South Kesteven
Stamford St Marys Ward
95.1% approval · 976 decisions
Belvoir Ward
95.2% approval · 623 decisions
Casewick Ward
91.8% approval · 515 decisions
Grantham St Wulframs Ward
94.7% approval · 513 decisions
Peascliffe And Ridgeway Ward
91.8% approval · 488 decisions
Viking Ward
88.8% approval · 464 decisions
Glen Ward
91.0% approval · 442 decisions
Isaac Newton Ward
94.7% approval · 394 decisions
Market And West Deeping Ward
94.0% approval · 381 decisions
Lincrest Ward
91.8% approval · 378 decisions
Loveden Heath Ward
92.7% approval · 372 decisions
Castle Ward
93.0% approval · 341 decisions
Deeping St James Ward
92.4% approval · 329 decisions
Grantham St Vincents Ward
93.8% approval · 322 decisions
Bourne East Ward
94.0% approval · 250 decisions
Bourne Austerby Ward
93.6% approval · 233 decisions
Stamford St Johns Ward
96.5% approval · 227 decisions
Stamford St Georges Ward
95.6% approval · 225 decisions
Toller Ward
96.8% approval · 217 decisions
Stamford All Saints Ward
94.2% approval · 207 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in South Kesteven, showing how the council decides real applications.
Infilling of walled patio to form living room extension and creation of new arch · Belvoir Ward · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Infilling of walled patio to form living room extension and creation of new arch · Belvoir Ward · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Erection of two signage boards. · Glen Ward · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 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 9,364 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in South Kesteven
What is the planning approval rate in South Kesteven?
Based on 9,364 planning decisions analysed since 2020, South Kesteven approved 93.3% of applications and refused 6.7%. The council is ranked 187th out of 279 UK councils for approval rate.
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 (97.5%). 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 (4,453 decisions, 91.7% approved), Trees (1,718, 97.7%), and Other (1,506, 95.0%).
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 9,332 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 1,561 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 9,364 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.