Stoke-on-Trent Council approves 81.6% of planning applications, based on 1,761 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Stoke-on-Trent sits 7.0 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 568 decided applications, Stoke-on-Trent Council approved 85.4% of planning applications in 2025. Across 1,761 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Stoke-on-Trent is 81.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Stoke-on-Trent council planning portal records · Updated August 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 | 1,437 | 324 | 1,761 | 81.6% |
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 | 139 | 18 | 157 | 88.5% |
| Hanley Park, Joiner's Square & Shelton | 112 | 28 | 140 | 80.0% |
| Hanford, Newstead & Trentham | 111 | 21 | 132 | 84.1% |
| Baddeley, Milton and Norton | 87 | 16 | 103 | 84.5% |
| Moorcroft & Sneyd Green | 84 | 10 | 94 | 89.4% |
| Hartshill Park & Stoke | 62 | 25 | 87 | 71.3% |
| Longton and Meir Hay South | 57 | 11 | 68 | 83.8% |
| Burslem | 49 | 14 | 63 | 77.8% |
| Basford & Hartshill | 42 | 14 | 56 | 75.0% |
| Penkhull & Springfields | 53 | 3 | 56 | 94.6% |
| Tunstall | 40 | 15 | 55 | 72.7% |
| Fenton West & Mount Pleasant | 44 | 10 | 54 | 81.5% |
| Meir Hay North, Parkhall & Weston Coyney | 46 | 6 | 52 | 88.5% |
| Birches Head & Northwood | 34 | 13 | 47 | 72.3% |
| Meir South | 39 | 7 | 46 | 84.8% |
| Lightwood North & Normacot | 28 | 15 | 43 | 65.1% |
| Trent Vale & Oak Hill | 28 | 10 | 38 | 73.7% |
| Hollybush | 25 | 9 | 34 | 73.5% |
| Goldenhill & Sandyford | 26 | 7 | 33 | 78.8% |
| Bentilee, Ubberley and Townsend | 29 | 4 | 33 | 87.9% |
| Great Chell & Packmoor | 22 | 10 | 32 | 68.8% |
| Fenton East | 25 | 4 | 29 | 86.2% |
| Ford Green & Smallthorne | 20 | 9 | 29 | 69.0% |
| Meir Park | 27 | 1 | 28 | 96.4% |
| Little Chell & Stanfield | 25 | 3 | 28 | 89.3% |
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/PNH/00693 Little Chell & Stanfield | Proposed single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/HOU/00508 Hanford, Newstead & Trentham | Two-storey side and rear extension including demolition of existing garage and s | Approved |
| 26/HOU/00506 Moorcroft & Sneyd Green | Single storey side extension | Approved |
| 26/HOU/00492 | Conversion of garage to form annexe accommodation ancillary to main house includ | Approved |
| 26/HOU/00392 Bentilee, Ubberley and Townsend | Rear ground floor extension & modular external ramping | Approved |
| 26/FUL/00447 Hanley Park, Joiner's Square & Shelton | Change of use to one residential dwelling (Use Class C3) (retrospective) | Approved |
| 26/FUL/00416 Tunstall | Change of use to 2 retail units (Use Class E(a) together with new shopfront | Approved |
| 26/FUL/00375 Boothen | Installation of extraction system with two external ducts to rear elevation (par | Approved |
| 26/FUL/00358 Burslem Park | Two storey side extension including new vehicular access and driveway | Refused |
| 26/CLP/00647 Abbey Hulton | Certificate of (proposed) lawful development for a single storey rear 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 Stoke-on-Trent's 1,761 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 1,761 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 1,761 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Stoke-on-Trent is 81.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,761 planning decisions from Stoke-on-Trent council. 1,437 were approved and 324 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Stoke-on-Trent is 81.6%, 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.