Stoke-on-Trent planning approval rate
Stoke-on-Trent council approved 82.2% of planning applications and refused 17.8%, based on 1,697 decisions analysed. Ranked 26th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
82.2%
overall approval rate
1,697
Decisions analysed
1,395
Approved
302
Refused
35
Wards covered
Planning in Stoke-on-Trent? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Stoke-on-Trent. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
82.2%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Stoke-on-Trent, mined from 1,697 proposal descriptions.
89.7%
88.4%
84.1%
79.5%
79.7%
75.0%
92.2%
86.0%
76.6%
70.3%
75.8%
52.4%
75.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Stoke-on-Trent. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Etruria & Hanley
89.0%
Hanley Park, Joiner's Square & Shelton
81.8%
Hanford, Newstead & Trentham
83.6%
Baddeley, Milton and Norton
85.6%
Moorcroft & Sneyd Green
89.2%
Hartshill Park & Stoke
70.7%
Longton and Meir Hay South
83.8%
Burslem
77.0%
Penkhull & Springfields
94.6%
Fenton West & Mount Pleasant
81.5%
Basford & Hartshill
75.5%
Meir Hay North, Parkhall & Weston Coyney
88.5%
Meir South
87.8%
Tunstall
72.9%
Lightwood North & Normacot
67.4%
Birches Head & Northwood
75.0%
Trent Vale & Oak Hill
73.7%
Great Chell & Packmoor
69.7%
Bentilee, Ubberley and Townsend
87.5%
Hollybush
77.4%
Wards in Stoke-on-Trent
Etruria & Hanley
89.0% approval · 146 decisions
Hanley Park, Joiner's Square & Shelton
81.8% approval · 132 decisions
Hanford, Newstead & Trentham
83.6% approval · 128 decisions
Baddeley, Milton and Norton
85.6% approval · 104 decisions
Moorcroft & Sneyd Green
89.2% approval · 93 decisions
Hartshill Park & Stoke
70.7% approval · 82 decisions
Longton and Meir Hay South
83.8% approval · 68 decisions
Burslem
77.0% approval · 61 decisions
Penkhull & Springfields
94.6% approval · 56 decisions
Fenton West & Mount Pleasant
81.5% approval · 54 decisions
Basford & Hartshill
75.5% approval · 53 decisions
Meir Hay North, Parkhall & Weston Coyney
88.5% approval · 52 decisions
Meir South
87.8% approval · 49 decisions
Tunstall
72.9% approval · 48 decisions
Lightwood North & Normacot
67.4% approval · 46 decisions
Birches Head & Northwood
75.0% approval · 44 decisions
Trent Vale & Oak Hill
73.7% approval · 38 decisions
Great Chell & Packmoor
69.7% approval · 33 decisions
Bentilee, Ubberley and Townsend
87.5% approval · 32 decisions
Hollybush
77.4% approval · 31 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Stoke-on-Trent, showing how the council decides real applications.
Demolition of existing single storey building (prior approval) · Etruria & Hanley · 2026-06-22
Single storey rear extension (prior approval) · Basford & Hartshill · 2026-06-22
Two storey side extension and single storey rear extension · Etruria & Hanley · 2026-06-22
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Stoke-on-Trent, 1 in 6 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Stoke-on-Trent
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Stoke-on-Trent →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Stoke-on-Trent
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 1,697 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Stoke-on-Trent
What is the planning approval rate in Stoke-on-Trent?
Based on 1,697 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Stoke-on-Trent approved 82.2% of applications and refused 17.8%. The council is ranked 26th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Stoke-on-Trent?
Stoke-on-Trent refuses 17.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 6. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 1,697 decided applications since 2020, 302 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Stoke-on-Trent have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Stoke-on-Trent are in Penkhull & Springfields (94.6%), Moorcroft & Sneyd Green (89.2%), and Etruria & Hanley (89.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Stoke-on-Trent?
The most common planning application types in Stoke-on-Trent are: Other (1,697 decisions, 82.2% approved).
How long does a planning application take in Stoke-on-Trent?
Most planning applications in Stoke-on-Trent are decided within 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments, the statutory targets set by central government. With 1,697 decisions analysed since 2020, Stoke-on-Trent processes approximately 283 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Stoke-on-Trent?
You can search planning applications in Stoke-on-Trent directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 1,697 historical decisions in Stoke-on-Trent to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Stoke-on-Trent calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Stoke-on-Trent's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.