South Staffordshire planning approval rate
South Staffordshire council approved 87.1% of planning applications and refused 12.9%, based on 1,485 decisions analysed. Ranked 68th out of 279 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
87.1%
overall approval rate
1,485
Decisions analysed
1,293
Approved
192
Refused
20
Wards covered
Planning in South Staffordshire? 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 Staffordshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
85.0%
96.5%
93.1%
80.5%
84.6%
92.0%
90.9%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in South Staffordshire — mined from 1,485 proposal descriptions.
91.6%
82.1%
91.3%
88.0%
75.3%
71.7%
88.1%
84.6%
84.4%
93.5%
70.0%
85.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within South Staffordshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Brewood, Coven & Blymhill
88.0%
Pattingham, Trysull, Bobb & L Penn
83.2%
Kinver & Enville
89.8%
Codsall
87.0%
Penkridge North & Acton Trussell
90.0%
Wombourne North
90.4%
Penkridge South & Gailey
87.0%
Featherstone, Shareshill & Saredon
82.8%
Bilbrook
92.5%
Wombourne South
93.5%
Lapley, Stretton & Wheaton Aston
80.0%
Cheslyn Hay Village
90.7%
Himley & Swindon
87.8%
Great Wyrley Town
77.8%
Essington
63.6%
Huntington & Hatherton
78.1%
Perton Wrottesley
93.8%
Perton Lakeside
100.0%
Great Wyrley Landywood
82.1%
Wards in South Staffordshire
Brewood, Coven & Blymhill
88.0% approval · 216 decisions
Pattingham, Trysull, Bobb & L Penn
83.2% approval · 184 decisions
Kinver & Enville
89.8% approval · 176 decisions
Codsall
87.0% approval · 138 decisions
Penkridge North & Acton Trussell
90.0% approval · 110 decisions
Wombourne North
90.4% approval · 104 decisions
Penkridge South & Gailey
87.0% approval · 69 decisions
Featherstone, Shareshill & Saredon
82.8% approval · 58 decisions
Bilbrook
92.5% approval · 53 decisions
Wombourne South
93.5% approval · 46 decisions
Lapley, Stretton & Wheaton Aston
80.0% approval · 45 decisions
Cheslyn Hay Village
90.7% approval · 43 decisions
Himley & Swindon
87.8% approval · 41 decisions
Great Wyrley Town
77.8% approval · 36 decisions
Essington
63.6% approval · 33 decisions
Huntington & Hatherton
78.1% approval · 32 decisions
Perton Wrottesley
93.8% approval · 32 decisions
Perton Lakeside
100.0% approval · 28 decisions
Great Wyrley Landywood
82.1% approval · 28 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in South Staffordshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Non Material Amendment to 25/00784/FUL comprising of alteration of internal wall · Great Wyrley Town · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Proposed single-storey rear extension projecting 4.5m beyond the original rear w · Huntington & Hatherton · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Proposed erection of single storey, detached residential unit (resubmission of 2 · Codsall · 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 Staffordshire, 1 in 8 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 Staffordshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for South Staffordshire →
✓ Common refusal reasons in South Staffordshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 1,485 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in South Staffordshire
What is the planning approval rate in South Staffordshire?
Based on 1,485 planning decisions analysed since 2020, South Staffordshire approved 87.1% of applications and refused 12.9%. The council is ranked 68th out of 279 UK councils for approval rate.
Which areas of South Staffordshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in South Staffordshire are in Bilbrook (92.5%), Wombourne North (90.4%), and Penkridge North & Acton Trussell (90.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward — see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in South Staffordshire?
The most common planning application types in South Staffordshire are: Full (679 decisions, 85.0% approved), Discharge of Conditions (230, 96.5%), and Trees (202, 93.1%).
How long does a planning application take in South Staffordshire?
Planning applications in South Staffordshire take an average of 11.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,483 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 Staffordshire decides approximately 248 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in South Staffordshire?
You can search planning applications in South Staffordshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 1,485 historical decisions in South Staffordshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for South Staffordshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes South Staffordshire'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.