Southampton Council approves 90.7% of planning applications, based on 1,007 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Southampton sits 2.8 percentage points above the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Southampton.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 913 | 94 | 1,007 | 90.7% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portswood | 116 | 10 | 126 | 92.1% |
| Bassett | 87 | 14 | 101 | 86.1% |
| Bargate | 88 | 1 | 89 | 98.9% |
| Shirley | 78 | 3 | 81 | 96.3% |
| Swaythling | 67 | 4 | 71 | 94.4% |
| Freemantle | 55 | 9 | 64 | 85.9% |
| Bitterne Park | 57 | 4 | 61 | 93.4% |
| Millbrook | 52 | 6 | 58 | 89.7% |
| Woolston | 52 | 3 | 55 | 94.5% |
| Bevois | 51 | 3 | 54 | 94.4% |
| Coxford | 39 | 6 | 45 | 86.7% |
| Harefield | 30 | 9 | 39 | 76.9% |
| Peartree | 35 | 4 | 39 | 89.7% |
| Sholing | 34 | 2 | 36 | 94.4% |
| Bitterne | 22 | 8 | 30 | 73.3% |
| Redbridge | 25 | 4 | 29 | 86.2% |
| Banister and Polygon | 7 | 0 | 7 | 100.0% |
Real residential planning decisions from Southampton council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00138/PLDC Bargate | Application for a lawful development certificate for proposed replacement of exi | Approved |
| 26/00004/TCA Portswood | Reduce the height of a group of leylandii trees at the rear of the garden at 5 G | Approved |
| 26/00073/FUL Woolston | Installation of 2 storage containers and replacement of boundary fence and gates | Approved |
| 26/00009/PAH Bassett | Erection of a single storey rear extension (Max Depth 5.5 m, Max Height 4 m, Eav | Approved |
| 26/00013/PAH Bitterne Park | Erection of a single storey rear extension (Max Depth 4, Max Height 4 m, Eaves H | Approved |
| 25/01569/PAH Harefield | Erection of a single storey rear extension (Max Depth 3.50m, Max Height 3.80m, E | Approved |
| 25/01431/PAH Peartree | Erection of a single storey rear extension (Max Depth 4.23m, Max Height 3m, Eave | Approved |
| 25/01206/FUL Peartree | Erection of raised decking, privacy panels and steps into garden with associated | Approved |
| 25/00965/PAH Bassett | Erection of a single storey rear extension (Max Depth 6 m, Max Height 3 m, Eaves | Approved |
| 25/00739/PAH Bassett | Erection of a single storey rear extension (Max Depth 4.6 m, Max Height 3.7 m, E | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Southampton's 1,007 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Dig deeper into Southampton's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 1,007 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Southampton is 90.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,007 planning decisions from Southampton council. 913 were approved and 94 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Southampton is 90.7%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.