South Staffordshire planning approval rate
South Staffordshire council approved 86.7% of planning applications and refused 13.3%, based on 1,616 decisions analysed. Ranked 65th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
86.7%
overall approval rate
1,616
Decisions analysed
1,401
Approved
215
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.
84.6%
95.7%
92.4%
80.0%
85.7%
88.5%
91.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in South Staffordshire, mined from 1,616 proposal descriptions.
90.7%
82.9%
92.0%
88.8%
75.9%
71.4%
88.9%
85.4%
85.7%
94.1%
83.3%
70.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within South Staffordshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Brewood, Coven & Blymhill
86.9%
Pattingham, Trysull, Bobb & L Penn
82.6%
Kinver & Enville
88.9%
Codsall
86.6%
Penkridge North & Acton Trussell
88.9%
Wombourne North
90.4%
Penkridge South & Gailey
87.7%
Featherstone, Shareshill & Saredon
81.0%
Bilbrook
91.4%
Wombourne South
92.3%
Lapley, Stretton & Wheaton Aston
77.1%
Cheslyn Hay Village
91.3%
Himley & Swindon
88.1%
Great Wyrley Town
80.5%
Essington
67.6%
Huntington & Hatherton
80.6%
Perton Wrottesley
94.3%
Great Wyrley Landywood
83.9%
Perton Lakeside
100.0%
Wards in South Staffordshire
Brewood, Coven & Blymhill
86.9% approval · 229 decisions
Pattingham, Trysull, Bobb & L Penn
82.6% approval · 195 decisions
Kinver & Enville
88.9% approval · 190 decisions
Codsall
86.6% approval · 157 decisions
Penkridge North & Acton Trussell
88.9% approval · 126 decisions
Wombourne North
90.4% approval · 114 decisions
Penkridge South & Gailey
87.7% approval · 73 decisions
Featherstone, Shareshill & Saredon
81.0% approval · 63 decisions
Bilbrook
91.4% approval · 58 decisions
Wombourne South
92.3% approval · 52 decisions
Lapley, Stretton & Wheaton Aston
77.1% approval · 48 decisions
Cheslyn Hay Village
91.3% approval · 46 decisions
Himley & Swindon
88.1% approval · 42 decisions
Great Wyrley Town
80.5% approval · 41 decisions
Essington
67.6% approval · 37 decisions
Huntington & Hatherton
80.6% approval · 36 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 single-storey rear extension to replace the existing rear addition, tog · Wombourne North · Wed 05 Aug 2026
Removal of existing rear outbuilding and replace with single storey rear extensi · Penkridge North & Acton Trussell · Wed 05 Aug 2026
Proposed two storey side and single storey rear extension · Great Wyrley Landywood · Tue 04 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 1,616 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in South Staffordshire
What is the planning approval rate in South Staffordshire?
Based on 1,616 planning decisions analysed since 2020, South Staffordshire approved 86.7% of applications and refused 13.3%. The council is ranked 65th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in South Staffordshire?
South Staffordshire refuses 13.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 1,616 decided applications since 2020, 215 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 (92.3%), Bilbrook (91.4%), and Wombourne North (90.4%). 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 (732 decisions, 84.6% approved), Discharge of Conditions (255, 95.7%), and Trees (225, 92.4%).
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 1,611 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 269 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 1,616 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.