Staffordshire Council approves 98.0% of planning applications, based on 636 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Staffordshire sits 13.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 89 decided applications, Staffordshire Council approved 100.0% of planning applications in 2025. Across 636 decisions on record (June 2013 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Staffordshire is 98.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Staffordshire council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, 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 Staffordshire.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 778 | 2 | 780 | 99.7% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 696 | 5 | 701 | 99.3% |
| Full | 338 | 2 | 340 | 99.4% |
| Prior Approval | 47 | 3 | 50 | 94.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 17 | 0 | 17 | 100.0% |
| Change of Use | 13 | 0 | 13 | 100.0% |
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, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burton Town ED | 42 | 0 | 42 | 100.0% |
| Brewood ED | 27 | 0 | 27 | 100.0% |
| Cheslyn Hay, Essington and Great Wyrley ED | 24 | 1 | 25 | 96.0% |
| Lichfield Rural North ED | 22 | 0 | 22 | 100.0% |
| Lichfield Rural South ED | 20 | 0 | 20 | 100.0% |
| Gnosall and Doxey ED | 20 | 0 | 20 | 100.0% |
| Keele, Knutton and Silverdale ED | 20 | 0 | 20 | 100.0% |
| Cheadle and Checkley ED | 19 | 0 | 19 | 100.0% |
| Penkridge ED | 19 | 0 | 19 | 100.0% |
| Newcastle Rural ED | 18 | 0 | 18 | 100.0% |
| Lichfield City South ED | 16 | 0 | 16 | 100.0% |
| Leek Rural ED | 15 | 0 | 15 | 100.0% |
| Eccleshall ED | 15 | 0 | 15 | 100.0% |
| 15175 - Gillian Parminder Kaur Pardesi - Stafford Central ED | 14 | 0 | 14 | 100.0% |
| Churnet Valley ED | 12 | 1 | 13 | 92.3% |
| Cannock Villages ED, Hednesford and Rawnsley ED | 13 | 0 | 13 | 100.0% |
| Lichfield Rural North ED, Needwood Forest ED | 13 | 0 | 13 | 100.0% |
| May Bank and Cross Heath ED | 12 | 0 | 12 | 100.0% |
| Kinver ED | 12 | 0 | 12 | 100.0% |
| Needwood Forest ED | 11 | 0 | 11 | 100.0% |
| Lichfield Rural East ED | 9 | 0 | 9 | 100.0% |
| Dove ED | 8 | 0 | 8 | 100.0% |
| Amington ED | 8 | 0 | 8 | 100.0% |
| Uttoxeter Rural ED, Churnet Valley ED | 7 | 0 | 7 | 100.0% |
| Cheslyn Hay, Essington and Great Wyrley ED, Brewood ED | 7 | 0 | 7 | 100.0% |
Showing top 25 of 32 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Staffordshire’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 0.9pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Staffordshire council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| SCC/26/0081/CON Needwood Forest ED | ESBC consultation: conversion of agricultural building to one dwelling | Approved |
| SCC/26/0083/CON Cheadle and Checkley ED | SMDC consultation: Erection of a self-build replacement dwelling | Approved |
| SCC/26/0065/CON Penkridge ED | SSC consultation: 80no. bedroom extra care home facilities | Approved |
| SCC/26/0060/CON Cheadle and Checkley ED | SMDC consultation: Full planning application for residential development | Approved |
| SCC/26/0049/CON Lichfield Rural South ED | Outline planning application for up to 100 dwellings | Approved |
| SCC/26/0008/CON Westlands and Thistleberry ED, Keele, Knutton and Silverdale ED | NuLBC Council consultation: outline proposal for 620 dwellings | Approved |
| SCC/26/0045/CON Eccleshall ED | Stafford Borough Council consultation for the erection of a David Llyod's gym | Approved |
| SCC/26/0043/CON Lichfield Rural East ED | LDC Consultation for the outline planning application for up to 250 dwellings | Approved |
| SCC/25/0087/FULL-MIN Stafford North ED | Classroom extension and new external soft play area | Approved |
| SCC/26/0024/CON | Outline planning application for residential development for 100 no. dwellings | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Staffordshire's 636 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Staffordshire's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
More council comparisons coming soon.
Dig deeper into Staffordshire's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Staffordshire. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 636 real decisions from Staffordshire council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Staffordshire's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 636 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Staffordshire is 98.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 636 planning decisions from Staffordshire council. 623 were approved and 13 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, June 2013 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Staffordshire is 98.0%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Staffordshire? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.