Swindon Council approves 94.3% of planning applications, based on 3,908 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Swindon sits 6.4 percentage points above the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — 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 Swindon.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,372 | 132 | 1,504 | 91.2% |
| Trees | 983 | 4 | 987 | 99.6% |
| Other | 692 | 52 | 744 | 93.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 515 | 31 | 546 | 94.3% |
| Advertisement | 83 | 3 | 86 | 96.5% |
| Listed Building | 24 | 0 | 24 | 100.0% |
| Prior Approval | 8 | 1 | 9 | 88.9% |
| 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.
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 | 459 | 2 | 461 | 99.6% |
| Blunsdon And Highworth | 281 | 15 | 296 | 94.9% |
| Ridgeway | 212 | 14 | 226 | 93.8% |
| Old Town | 210 | 8 | 218 | 96.3% |
| St Margaret And South Marston | 176 | 9 | 185 | 95.1% |
| Chiseldon And Lawn | 172 | 8 | 180 | 95.6% |
| Eastcott | 167 | 13 | 180 | 92.8% |
| Wroughton And Wichelstowe | 166 | 7 | 173 | 96.0% |
| Central | 139 | 9 | 148 | 93.9% |
| St Andrews | 138 | 5 | 143 | 96.5% |
| Haydon Wick | 131 | 10 | 141 | 92.9% |
| Gorse Hill & Pinehurst | 115 | 13 | 128 | 89.8% |
| Rodbourne Cheney | 97 | 8 | 105 | 92.4% |
| Old Town & Lawn | 101 | 2 | 103 | 98.1% |
| Shaw | 81 | 6 | 87 | 93.1% |
| St Margaret | 78 | 8 | 86 | 90.7% |
| Wroughton & Chiseldon | 77 | 7 | 84 | 91.7% |
| Priory Vale | 76 | 5 | 81 | 93.8% |
| Penhill And Upper Stratton | 68 | 6 | 74 | 91.9% |
| Covingham And Dorcan | 68 | 4 | 72 | 94.4% |
| Walcot And Park North | 63 | 4 | 67 | 94.0% |
| Liden, Eldene And Park South | 61 | 2 | 63 | 96.8% |
| Western | 57 | 3 | 60 | 95.0% |
| Lydiard And Freshbrook | 54 | 3 | 57 | 94.7% |
| Abbey Meads | 47 | 5 | 52 | 90.4% |
Showing top 25 of 38 wards by volume. Your Pro Report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →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/HOU/26/0164 St Margaret And South Marston | Erection of a single storey rear and side extension. | Approved |
| S/HOU/26/0084 Chiseldon And Lawn | Erection of single storey extension to side and rear elevations. | Approved |
| S/25/1644 Blunsdon And Highworth | Erection of security fence and gates. | Approved |
| S/LBC/25/1618 Old Town | Stabilise the roof and gable walls, restore load paths, improve lateral restrain | Approved |
| S/HOU/25/1641 Eastcott | Erection of First floor rear extension and ground floor infill. | Approved |
| S/HOU/25/1639 Old Town | Erection of two storey rear extension above existing single storey rear extensio | Approved |
| S/HOU/25/1625 Covingham And Dorcan | Erection of ground and first floor extension to existing dwelling. | Approved |
| S/DEM/25/1658 Eastcott | This application proposes partial demolition of the Regent Circus Complex in Swi | Approved |
| S/TWC/25/1627 Central | Works to Trees within Conservation area. We have trees at the front of our build | Approved |
| S/LDP/25/1525 Shaw | Erection of single storey side extension and conversion of garage into habitable | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Swindon's 3,908 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Dig deeper into Swindon's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 3,908 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Swindon is 94.3%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 3,908 planning decisions from Swindon council. 3,685 were approved and 223 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Swindon is 94.3%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.