Swindon Council approves 91.6% of planning applications, based on 2,219 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Swindon sits 6.6 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 195 decided applications, Swindon Council approved 95.4% of planning applications in 2025. Across 2,219 decisions on record (March 2006 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Swindon is 91.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Swindon council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Swindon.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,846 | 135 | 1,981 | 93.2% |
| Trees | 1,096 | 4 | 1,100 | 99.6% |
| Other | 751 | 56 | 807 | 93.1% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 591 | 31 | 622 | 95.0% |
| Advertisement | 111 | 3 | 114 | 97.4% |
| Listed Building | 50 | 0 | 50 | 100.0% |
| Prior Approval | 17 | 2 | 19 | 89.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 6 | 0 | 6 | 100.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not Applicable | 460 | 2 | 462 | 99.6% |
| Blunsdon And Highworth | 333 | 15 | 348 | 95.7% |
| Ridgeway | 254 | 14 | 268 | 94.8% |
| Old Town | 240 | 9 | 249 | 96.4% |
| St Margaret And South Marston | 217 | 10 | 227 | 95.6% |
| Chiseldon And Lawn | 200 | 8 | 208 | 96.2% |
| Wroughton And Wichelstowe | 199 | 7 | 206 | 96.6% |
| Eastcott | 190 | 13 | 203 | 93.6% |
| Central | 171 | 9 | 180 | 95.0% |
| Haydon Wick | 154 | 10 | 164 | 93.9% |
| St Andrews | 158 | 5 | 163 | 96.9% |
| Old Town & Lawn | 140 | 3 | 143 | 97.9% |
| Gorse Hill & Pinehurst | 128 | 14 | 142 | 90.1% |
| Rodbourne Cheney | 129 | 8 | 137 | 94.2% |
| Shaw | 94 | 6 | 100 | 94.0% |
| Priory Vale | 89 | 5 | 94 | 94.7% |
| Penhill And Upper Stratton | 83 | 6 | 89 | 93.3% |
| St Margaret | 78 | 8 | 86 | 90.7% |
| Wroughton & Chiseldon | 77 | 7 | 84 | 91.7% |
| Walcot And Park North | 72 | 4 | 76 | 94.7% |
| Covingham And Dorcan | 71 | 4 | 75 | 94.7% |
| Lydiard And Freshbrook | 66 | 3 | 69 | 95.7% |
| Liden, Eldene And Park South | 67 | 2 | 69 | 97.1% |
| Mannington And Western | 56 | 4 | 60 | 93.3% |
| Western | 57 | 3 | 60 | 95.0% |
Showing top 25 of 54 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Swindon’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 Swindon council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| S/26/0862 Queens Park | External and internal alterations to part (consented) flats 1-14 and commercial | Approved |
| S/HOU/26/1005 Shaw & Westlea | Reroof existing flat roof garage with a pitched roof. | Approved |
| S/HOU/26/0984 Rodbourne Cheney | Erection of a first floor rear extension. | Approved |
| S/26/0846 Lower Stratton | Extension to southern end of building and change of use of part of existing buil | Approved |
| S/26/0988 Old Town & Lawn | Internal and external alterations of Newspaper House (listed portion) for the co | Approved |
| S/LBC/26/0976 Chiseldon & Ridgeway | Installation of PV cells array (5 rows of 7 panels) to existing barn slate roof. | Approved |
| S/HOU/26/0958 Rodbourne Ferndale & Western | Erection of an outbuilding to be used as a dog grooming salon. | Approved |
| S/HOU/26/0945 Chiseldon & Ridgeway | Installation of 28 solar panels on the south facing roof | Approved |
| S/26/0927 Gorse Hill | Change of Use of from motorcycle showroom (Sui Generis) to indoor Golf Simulator | Approved |
| S/HOU/26/1051 Covingham & Nythe | Erection of a first floor side 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 Swindon's 2,219 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Swindon's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Swindon'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 Swindon. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 2,219 real decisions from Swindon 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 Swindon'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 2,219 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Swindon is 91.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,219 planning decisions from Swindon council. 2,033 were approved and 186 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, March 2006 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Swindon is 91.6%, 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 Swindon? 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.