Southampton planning approval rate
Southampton council approved 90.7% of planning applications and refused 9.3%, based on 1,007 decisions analysed. Ranked 137th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
90.7%
overall approval rate
1,007
Decisions analysed
913
Approved
94
Refused
17
Wards covered
Planning in Southampton? 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 Southampton. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
90.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Southampton, mined from 1,007 proposal descriptions.
91.9%
84.4%
89.8%
100.0%
81.2%
85.7%
85.0%
94.1%
90.9%
90.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Southampton. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Portswood
92.1%
Bassett
86.1%
Bargate
98.9%
Shirley
96.3%
Swaythling
94.4%
Freemantle
85.9%
Bitterne Park
93.4%
Millbrook
89.7%
Woolston
94.5%
Bevois
94.4%
Coxford
86.7%
Harefield
76.9%
Peartree
89.7%
Sholing
94.4%
Bitterne
73.3%
Redbridge
86.2%
Wards in Southampton
Portswood
92.1% approval · 126 decisions
Bassett
86.1% approval · 101 decisions
Bargate
98.9% approval · 89 decisions
Shirley
96.3% approval · 81 decisions
Swaythling
94.4% approval · 71 decisions
Freemantle
85.9% approval · 64 decisions
Bitterne Park
93.4% approval · 61 decisions
Millbrook
89.7% approval · 58 decisions
Woolston
94.5% approval · 55 decisions
Bevois
94.4% approval · 54 decisions
Coxford
86.7% approval · 45 decisions
Harefield
76.9% approval · 39 decisions
Peartree
89.7% approval · 39 decisions
Sholing
94.4% approval · 36 decisions
Bitterne
73.3% approval · 30 decisions
Redbridge
86.2% approval · 29 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Southampton, showing how the council decides real applications.
26/00138/PLDC
Application for a lawful development certificate for proposed replacement of exi · Bargate · Fri 06 Feb 2026
26/00004/TCA
Reduce the height of a group of leylandii trees at the rear of the garden at 5 G · Portswood · Mon 26 Jan 2026
26/00073/FUL
Installation of 2 storage containers and replacement of boundary fence and gates · Woolston · Thu 22 Jan 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Southampton, 1 in 11 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 Southampton
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Southampton →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Southampton
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 1,007 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Southampton
What is the planning approval rate in Southampton?
Based on 1,007 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Southampton approved 90.7% of applications and refused 9.3%. The council is ranked 137th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Southampton?
Southampton refuses 9.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 11. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 1,007 decided applications since 2020, 94 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Southampton have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Southampton are in Bargate (98.9%), Shirley (96.3%), and Woolston (94.5%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Southampton?
The most common planning application types in Southampton are: Other (1,007 decisions, 90.7% approved).
How long does a planning application take in Southampton?
Most planning applications in Southampton are decided within 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments, the statutory targets set by central government. With 1,007 decisions analysed since 2020, Southampton processes approximately 168 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Southampton?
You can search planning applications in Southampton directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 1,007 historical decisions in Southampton to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Southampton calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Southampton'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.