Stoke-on-Trent Council approves 81.4% of planning applications, based on 1,632 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Stoke-on-Trent sits 3.6 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 1,632 decisions on record (January 2024 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Stoke-on-Trent is 81.4%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Stoke-on-Trent council planning portal records · Data to 28 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 Stoke-on-Trent.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 1,524 | 339 | 1,863 | 81.8% |
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 | 146 | 18 | 164 | 89.0% |
| Hanley Park, Joiner's Square & Shelton | 120 | 29 | 149 | 80.5% |
| Hanford, Newstead & Trentham | 119 | 22 | 141 | 84.4% |
| Baddeley, Milton and Norton | 91 | 16 | 107 | 85.0% |
| Moorcroft & Sneyd Green | 88 | 12 | 100 | 88.0% |
| Hartshill Park & Stoke | 65 | 27 | 92 | 70.7% |
| Longton and Meir Hay South | 60 | 11 | 71 | 84.5% |
| Burslem | 54 | 14 | 68 | 79.4% |
| Tunstall | 43 | 16 | 59 | 72.9% |
| Penkhull & Springfields | 56 | 3 | 59 | 94.9% |
| Basford & Hartshill | 42 | 16 | 58 | 72.4% |
| Fenton West & Mount Pleasant | 47 | 11 | 58 | 81.0% |
| Meir Hay North, Parkhall & Weston Coyney | 48 | 6 | 54 | 88.9% |
| Birches Head & Northwood | 36 | 13 | 49 | 73.5% |
| Meir South | 40 | 8 | 48 | 83.3% |
| Lightwood North & Normacot | 28 | 15 | 43 | 65.1% |
| Trent Vale & Oak Hill | 29 | 10 | 39 | 74.4% |
| Hollybush | 27 | 9 | 36 | 75.0% |
| Bentilee, Ubberley and Townsend | 32 | 4 | 36 | 88.9% |
| Goldenhill & Sandyford | 27 | 8 | 35 | 77.1% |
| Great Chell & Packmoor | 22 | 10 | 32 | 68.8% |
| Ford Green & Smallthorne | 21 | 10 | 31 | 67.7% |
| Fenton East | 25 | 5 | 30 | 83.3% |
| Little Chell & Stanfield | 26 | 3 | 29 | 89.7% |
| Meir Park | 27 | 1 | 28 | 96.4% |
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 6.4pp 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/HOU/00905 Hanford, Newstead & Trentham | Single storey side and rear extension | Approved |
| 26/FUL/00856 Hanley Park, Joiner's Square & Shelton | Installation of new aluminium shopfront alongside installation of roller shutter | Approved |
| 26/FUL/00659 Moorcroft & Sneyd Green | Two storey residential dwelling and associated works along with single storey re | Refused |
| 26/HOU/00800 Etruria & Hanley | First-floor side extension & single-storey rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/HOU/00690 Bentilee, Ubberley and Townsend | Proposed Garage conversion and rear extension | Approved |
| 26/FUL/00671 Penkhull & Springfields | Elevation alteration to include replacement roof, fascia boards and rainwater go | Approved |
| 26/FUL/00650 | Change of use of first and second floors to 2no. residential self-contained apar | Approved |
| 25/FUL/00701 Meir Hay North, Parkhall & Weston Coyney | Erection of a new two-storey extension to existing Business Units for use as Off | Approved |
| 26/FUL/00505 Hartshill Park & Stoke | Change of use of ground and first floors to two bedroom self contained flat (C3) | Approved |
| 26/FUL/00748 | Proposed window replacements, replacement of window with infill, proposed window | 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 1,632 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 1,632 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 1,632 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Stoke-on-Trent is 81.4%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,632 planning decisions from Stoke-on-Trent council. 1,329 were approved and 303 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2024 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Stoke-on-Trent is 81.4%, 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.