Swindon planning approval rate
Swindon council approved 94.8% of planning applications and refused 5.2%, based on 4,413 decisions analysed. Ranked 231st out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
94.8%
overall approval rate
4,413
Decisions analysed
4,184
Approved
229
Refused
45
Wards covered
Planning in Swindon? 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 Swindon. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
92.6%
99.6%
92.8%
97.1%
100.0%
88.2%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Swindon, mined from 4,413 proposal descriptions.
93.7%
93.3%
92.7%
90.0%
96.1%
89.9%
93.4%
89.9%
94.8%
96.9%
92.3%
88.9%
92.9%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Swindon. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Not Applicable
99.6%
Blunsdon And Highworth
95.6%
Ridgeway
94.7%
Old Town
96.4%
St Margaret And South Marston
95.6%
Chiseldon And Lawn
96.1%
Eastcott
93.6%
Wroughton And Wichelstowe
96.5%
Central
94.9%
St Andrews
96.9%
Haydon Wick
93.5%
Gorse Hill & Pinehurst
90.1%
Rodbourne Cheney
93.7%
Old Town & Lawn
97.4%
Shaw
94.0%
Penhill And Upper Stratton
93.3%
Priory Vale
94.4%
St Margaret
90.7%
Wroughton & Chiseldon
91.7%
Walcot And Park North
94.7%
Wards in Swindon
Not Applicable
99.6% approval · 461 decisions
Blunsdon And Highworth
95.6% approval · 340 decisions
Ridgeway
94.7% approval · 265 decisions
Old Town
96.4% approval · 248 decisions
St Margaret And South Marston
95.6% approval · 226 decisions
Chiseldon And Lawn
96.1% approval · 207 decisions
Eastcott
93.6% approval · 203 decisions
Wroughton And Wichelstowe
96.5% approval · 200 decisions
Central
94.9% approval · 176 decisions
St Andrews
96.9% approval · 163 decisions
Haydon Wick
93.5% approval · 155 decisions
Gorse Hill & Pinehurst
90.1% approval · 142 decisions
Rodbourne Cheney
93.7% approval · 127 decisions
Old Town & Lawn
97.4% approval · 116 decisions
Shaw
94.0% approval · 100 decisions
Penhill And Upper Stratton
93.3% approval · 89 decisions
Priory Vale
94.4% approval · 89 decisions
St Margaret
90.7% approval · 86 decisions
Wroughton & Chiseldon
91.7% approval · 84 decisions
Walcot And Park North
94.7% approval · 76 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Swindon, showing how the council decides real applications.
Installation of temporary mobile ward units and temporary fire walls, together w · Badbury Park, Eldene & Liden · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Demolition of existing lean-to store room and erection of new single storey exte · Highworth · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Erection of a two storey rear extension. · Gorse Hill · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Swindon, 1 in 19 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 Swindon
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Swindon →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Swindon
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 4,413 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Swindon
What is the planning approval rate in Swindon?
Based on 4,413 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Swindon approved 94.8% of applications and refused 5.2%. The council is ranked 231st out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Swindon?
Swindon refuses 5.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 19. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 4,413 decided applications since 2020, 229 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Swindon have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Swindon are in Not Applicable (99.6%), Old Town & Lawn (97.4%), and Liden, Eldene And Park South (97.1%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Swindon?
The most common planning application types in Swindon are: Full (1,805 decisions, 92.6% approved), Trees (1,063, 99.6%), and Other (782, 92.8%).
How long does a planning application take in Swindon?
Planning applications in Swindon take an average of 7.3 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 505 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is inside the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Swindon decides approximately 736 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Swindon?
You can search planning applications in Swindon directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 4,413 historical decisions in Swindon to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Swindon calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Swindon'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.