Stoke-on-Trent Council approves 82.2% of planning applications, based on 1,697 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Stoke-on-Trent sits 6.1 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 578 decided applications, Stoke-on-Trent Council approved 85.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 1,697 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Stoke-on-Trent is 82.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Stoke-on-Trent council planning portal records · Updated June 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 Stoke-on-Trent.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 1,395 | 302 | 1,697 | 82.2% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etruria & Hanley | 130 | 16 | 146 | 89.0% |
| Hanley Park, Joiner's Square & Shelton | 108 | 24 | 132 | 81.8% |
| Hanford, Newstead & Trentham | 107 | 21 | 128 | 83.6% |
| Baddeley, Milton and Norton | 89 | 15 | 104 | 85.6% |
| Moorcroft & Sneyd Green | 83 | 10 | 93 | 89.2% |
| Hartshill Park & Stoke | 58 | 24 | 82 | 70.7% |
| Longton and Meir Hay South | 57 | 11 | 68 | 83.8% |
| Burslem | 47 | 14 | 61 | 77.0% |
| Penkhull & Springfields | 53 | 3 | 56 | 94.6% |
| Fenton West & Mount Pleasant | 44 | 10 | 54 | 81.5% |
| Basford & Hartshill | 40 | 13 | 53 | 75.5% |
| Meir Hay North, Parkhall & Weston Coyney | 46 | 6 | 52 | 88.5% |
| Meir South | 43 | 6 | 49 | 87.8% |
| Tunstall | 35 | 13 | 48 | 72.9% |
| Lightwood North & Normacot | 31 | 15 | 46 | 67.4% |
| Birches Head & Northwood | 33 | 11 | 44 | 75.0% |
| Trent Vale & Oak Hill | 28 | 10 | 38 | 73.7% |
| Great Chell & Packmoor | 23 | 10 | 33 | 69.7% |
| Bentilee, Ubberley and Townsend | 28 | 4 | 32 | 87.5% |
| Hollybush | 24 | 7 | 31 | 77.4% |
| Goldenhill & Sandyford | 26 | 5 | 31 | 83.9% |
| Little Chell & Stanfield | 25 | 3 | 28 | 89.3% |
| Ford Green & Smallthorne | 19 | 9 | 28 | 67.9% |
| Meir Park | 25 | 1 | 26 | 96.2% |
| Fenton East | 24 | 2 | 26 | 92.3% |
Showing top 25 of 35 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Stoke-on-Trent’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 6.1pp since 2024.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Stoke-on-Trent council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/PRA/00545 Etruria & Hanley | Demolition of existing single storey building (prior approval) | Approved |
| 26/PNH/00421 Basford & Hartshill | Single storey rear extension (prior approval) | Approved |
| 26/HOU/00543 Etruria & Hanley | Two storey side extension and single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/HOU/00481 Baddeley, Milton and Norton | Single storey side extension | Approved |
| 26/HOU/00402 Baddeley, Milton and Norton | Garage Conversion with single storey extension | Approved |
| 26/HOU/00398 Moorcroft & Sneyd Green | Single Storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/HOU/00349 Meir Hay North, Parkhall & Weston Coyney | Single Storey Rear Extension | Approved |
| 26/HOU/00324 Hollybush | PROPOSED SINGLE STOREY REAR EXTENSION | Approved |
| 26/HOU/00275 Meir Hay North, Parkhall & Weston Coyney | Single storey rear and side extension including replacement front door and bay w | Approved |
| 26/FUL/00182 Meir Hay North, Parkhall & Weston Coyney | Erection of freestanding micro energy storage facility | 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 Stoke-on-Trent's 1,697 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Stoke-on-Trent's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
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Dig deeper into Stoke-on-Trent'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 Stoke-on-Trent. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 1,697 real decisions from Stoke-on-Trent 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 Stoke-on-Trent'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 1,697 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Stoke-on-Trent is 82.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,697 planning decisions from Stoke-on-Trent council. 1,395 were approved and 302 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Stoke-on-Trent is 82.2%, 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 Stoke-on-Trent? 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.