South Staffordshire planning approval rate
South Staffordshire council approved 86.8% of planning applications and refused 13.2%, based on 1,644 decisions analysed. Ranked 67th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
86.8%
overall approval rate
1,644
Decisions analysed
1,427
Approved
217
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.
84.7%
95.7%
92.2%
80.0%
86.2%
88.5%
91.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in South Staffordshire, mined from 1,644 proposal descriptions.
90.9%
83.5%
92.2%
89.0%
77.1%
72.5%
88.9%
85.7%
86.5%
94.1%
84.0%
70.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within South Staffordshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Brewood, Coven & Blymhill
87.0%
Pattingham, Trysull, Bobb & L Penn
82.9%
Kinver & Enville
89.2%
Codsall
86.2%
Penkridge North & Acton Trussell
89.0%
Wombourne North
90.5%
Penkridge South & Gailey
87.8%
Featherstone, Shareshill & Saredon
81.0%
Bilbrook
91.5%
Wombourne South
92.5%
Lapley, Stretton & Wheaton Aston
77.6%
Cheslyn Hay Village
91.5%
Himley & Swindon
86.4%
Great Wyrley Town
80.5%
Essington
69.2%
Huntington & Hatherton
81.1%
Perton Wrottesley
94.3%
Great Wyrley Landywood
83.9%
Perton Lakeside
100.0%
Wards in South Staffordshire
Brewood, Coven & Blymhill
87.0% approval · 231 decisions
Pattingham, Trysull, Bobb & L Penn
82.9% approval · 199 decisions
Kinver & Enville
89.2% approval · 195 decisions
Codsall
86.2% approval · 160 decisions
Penkridge North & Acton Trussell
89.0% approval · 127 decisions
Wombourne North
90.5% approval · 116 decisions
Penkridge South & Gailey
87.8% approval · 74 decisions
Featherstone, Shareshill & Saredon
81.0% approval · 63 decisions
Bilbrook
91.5% approval · 59 decisions
Wombourne South
92.5% approval · 53 decisions
Lapley, Stretton & Wheaton Aston
77.6% approval · 49 decisions
Cheslyn Hay Village
91.5% approval · 47 decisions
Himley & Swindon
86.4% approval · 44 decisions
Great Wyrley Town
80.5% approval · 41 decisions
Essington
69.2% approval · 39 decisions
Huntington & Hatherton
81.1% approval · 37 decisions
Perton Wrottesley
94.3% approval · 35 decisions
Great Wyrley Landywood
83.9% approval · 31 decisions
Perton Lakeside
100.0% approval · 30 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in South Staffordshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Proposed rear single storey domestic extension · Penkridge South & Gailey · Fri 14 Aug 2026
External alterations to existing buildings · Pattingham, Trysull, Bobb & L Penn · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Demolition of existing garage with single storey pitched roof extension to side · Wombourne North · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more 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 1,644 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in South Staffordshire
What is the planning approval rate in South Staffordshire?
Based on 1,644 planning decisions analysed since 2020, South Staffordshire approved 86.8% of applications and refused 13.2%. The council is ranked 67th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in South Staffordshire?
South Staffordshire refuses 13.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 1,644 decided applications since 2020, 217 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of South Staffordshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in South Staffordshire are in Wombourne South (92.5%), Bilbrook (91.5%), and Wombourne North (90.5%). 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 (747 decisions, 84.7% approved), Discharge of Conditions (256, 95.7%), and Trees (232, 92.2%).
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 1,639 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 274 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 1,644 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.