Stevenage Council approves 94.0% of planning applications, based on 2,902 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Stevenage sits 9.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 240 decided applications, Stevenage Council approved 96.2% of planning applications in 2025. Across 2,902 decisions on record (March 2006 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Stevenage is 94.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Stevenage 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 Stevenage.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 2,521 | 158 | 2,679 | 94.1% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 414 | 31 | 445 | 93.0% |
| Advertisement | 286 | 7 | 293 | 97.6% |
| Other | 192 | 3 | 195 | 98.5% |
| Trees | 157 | 16 | 173 | 90.8% |
| Prior Approval | 92 | 13 | 105 | 87.6% |
| Listed Building | 66 | 7 | 73 | 90.4% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 3 | 1 | 4 | 75.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Town | 600 | 45 | 645 | 93.0% |
| Bedwell | 443 | 17 | 460 | 96.3% |
| Roebuck | 379 | 25 | 404 | 93.8% |
| Woodfield | 368 | 22 | 390 | 94.4% |
| Manor | 264 | 24 | 288 | 91.7% |
| Shephall | 256 | 24 | 280 | 91.4% |
| Symonds Green | 253 | 14 | 267 | 94.8% |
| Chells | 225 | 9 | 234 | 96.2% |
| Longmeadow | 218 | 9 | 227 | 96.0% |
| Bandley Hill And Poplars | 195 | 18 | 213 | 91.5% |
| To Follow | 180 | 11 | 191 | 94.2% |
| Martins Wood | 166 | 11 | 177 | 93.8% |
| St Nicholas | 147 | 7 | 154 | 95.5% |
| Almond Hill | 33 | 0 | 33 | 100.0% |
How Stevenage’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 1.4pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Stevenage council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00630/FP Shephall | Change of Use from public amenity land to residential use | Approved |
| 26/00592/FP St Nicholas | Removal of single storey rear extensions to units 3 and 4; removal of rear yard | Approved |
| 26/00616/CLPD Almond Hill | Lawful Development Certificate (Proposed) construction of a detached single stor | Approved |
| 26/00605/FP Old Town | Sub division of Unit 1A into 2no. units including new front entrance, side fire | Approved |
| 26/00571/CLPD Manor | Lawful Development Certificate (Proposed) garage to be converted to habitable sp | Approved |
| 26/00569/FPH Chells | Proposed dropped kerb and off-street parking | Approved |
| 26/00555/CLPD Manor | Lawful Development Certificate (Proposed) for loft conversion with rear dormer | Approved |
| 26/00552/FPH Old Town | Erection of single storey side and rear extension with dormer loft conversion | Approved |
| 26/00477/FPH Chells | Erection of single storey front extension | Approved |
| 26/00546/FPH Martins Wood | Single storey rear extension and single storey side extension | 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 Stevenage's 2,902 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Stevenage's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Stevenage'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 Stevenage. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 2,902 real decisions from Stevenage 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 Stevenage'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 2,902 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Stevenage is 94.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,902 planning decisions from Stevenage council. 2,728 were approved and 174 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, March 2006 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Stevenage is 94.0%, 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 Stevenage? 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.