Surrey Heath Council approves 88.3% of planning applications, based on 3,242 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Surrey Heath sits 3.3 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 579 decided applications, Surrey Heath Council approved 90.0% of planning applications in 2025. Across 3,242 decisions on record (March 2006 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Surrey Heath is 88.3%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Surrey Heath 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 Surrey Heath.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 2,348 | 288 | 2,636 | 89.1% |
| Other | 1,574 | 179 | 1,753 | 89.8% |
| Trees | 631 | 32 | 663 | 95.2% |
| Advertisement | 128 | 7 | 135 | 94.8% |
| Listed Building | 29 | 5 | 34 | 85.3% |
| Prior Approval | 10 | 4 | 14 | 71.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 4 | 1 | 5 | 80.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windlesham & Chobham | 560 | 77 | 637 | 87.9% |
| Mytchett & Deepcut | 383 | 22 | 405 | 94.6% |
| Lightwater | 330 | 39 | 369 | 89.4% |
| Heatherside | 327 | 30 | 357 | 91.6% |
| St Pauls | 320 | 23 | 343 | 93.3% |
| Parkside | 301 | 41 | 342 | 88.0% |
| Bisley & West End | 280 | 52 | 332 | 84.3% |
| Town | 270 | 28 | 298 | 90.6% |
| St Michaels | 274 | 17 | 291 | 94.2% |
| Bagshot | 252 | 27 | 279 | 90.3% |
| Frimley | 247 | 18 | 265 | 93.2% |
| Watchetts | 242 | 21 | 263 | 92.0% |
| Chobham | 191 | 45 | 236 | 80.9% |
| Frimley Green | 206 | 24 | 230 | 89.6% |
| West End | 161 | 19 | 180 | 89.4% |
| Old Dean | 119 | 13 | 132 | 90.2% |
| Outside Boundary | 25 | 0 | 25 | 100.0% |
How Surrey Heath’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.8pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Surrey Heath council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/0726/FFU St Pauls | Erection of part single part two storey rear extension following demolition of e | Approved |
| 26/0709/FFU St Michaels | Erection of a first floor rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/0650/FFU Bisley & West End | Erection of a part single storey, part two storey self-build dwellinghouse, with | Refused |
| TWA/26/0193 Old Dean | t1 sweet chestnut rear left hand side of garden - reduce height by up to 1.5m - | Approved |
| TWA/26/0190 Parkside | G3 - 2 No. Oaks located to the rear left right of the property.Remove any dead w | Approved |
| 26/0680/FFU Windlesham & Chobham | Erection of first floor side extension, front infill extension, garage conversio | Approved |
| 26/0633/FFU Bagshot | Erection of two storey side extension. | Approved |
| 25/1021/FFU Outside Boundary | Cross boundary application for full planning permission for the phased partial r | Approved |
| 26/0639/FFU Frimley | Erection of a single storey rear extension, first floor side and front extension | Approved |
| 26/0669/FFU Lightwater | Erection of a single storey rear extension and conversion of garage into annexe | 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 Surrey Heath's 3,242 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Surrey Heath's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Surrey Heath'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 Surrey Heath. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 3,242 real decisions from Surrey Heath 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 Surrey Heath'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 3,242 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Surrey Heath is 88.3%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 3,242 planning decisions from Surrey Heath council. 2,864 were approved and 378 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, March 2006 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Surrey Heath is 88.3%, 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 Surrey Heath? 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.