West Berkshire Council approves 88.8% of planning applications, based on 947 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%. West Berkshire is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 947 decided applications published since January 2020, West Berkshire Council approved 88.8% of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of West Berkshire council planning portal records · Updated June 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 West Berkshire.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 334 | 51 | 385 | 86.8% |
| Trees | 185 | 6 | 191 | 96.9% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 139 | 16 | 155 | 89.7% |
| Other | 60 | 11 | 71 | 84.5% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 53 | 18 | 71 | 74.6% |
| Listed Building | 48 | 1 | 49 | 98.0% |
| Advertisement | 12 | 0 | 12 | 100.0% |
| Change of Use | 4 | 3 | 7 | 57.1% |
| Prior Approval | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hungerford & Kintbury | 103 | 12 | 115 | 89.6% |
| Chieveley & Cold Ash | 60 | 6 | 66 | 90.9% |
| Newbury Central | 57 | 5 | 62 | 91.9% |
| Burghfield & Mortimer | 53 | 8 | 61 | 86.9% |
| Ridgeway | 48 | 4 | 52 | 92.3% |
| Downlands | 49 | 3 | 52 | 94.2% |
| Newbury Speen | 48 | 3 | 51 | 94.1% |
| Bucklebury | 38 | 6 | 44 | 86.4% |
| Basildon | 34 | 8 | 42 | 81.0% |
| Lambourn | 39 | 3 | 42 | 92.9% |
| Bradfield | 33 | 8 | 41 | 80.5% |
| Newbury Wash Common | 37 | 4 | 41 | 90.2% |
| Tilehurst & Purley | 36 | 2 | 38 | 94.7% |
| Aldermaston | 29 | 5 | 34 | 85.3% |
| Newbury Greenham | 26 | 6 | 32 | 81.2% |
| Pangbourne | 23 | 7 | 30 | 76.7% |
| Theale | 27 | 1 | 28 | 96.4% |
| Newbury Clay Hill | 21 | 1 | 22 | 95.5% |
| Tilehurst Birch Copse | 17 | 3 | 20 | 85.0% |
| Thatcham West | 16 | 2 | 18 | 88.9% |
| Thatcham Central | 16 | 1 | 17 | 94.1% |
| Tilehurst South & Holybrook | 10 | 5 | 15 | 66.7% |
| Thatcham Colthrop & Crookham | 10 | 2 | 12 | 83.3% |
| Thatcham North East | 10 | 1 | 11 | 90.9% |
Real residential planning decisions from West Berkshire council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00902/HOUSE Downlands | New 1st floor window. | Approved |
| 26/00806/LBC Hungerford & Kintbury | Electric socket on outside wall | Approved |
| 26/00720/HOUSE Chieveley & Cold Ash | Single storey rear extension, porch extension, garage conversion and extension. | Approved |
| 25/02959/HOUSE Bucklebury | Two storey rear extension and remodelling of existing bungalow with solar panels | Approved |
| 26/00785/HOUSE Downlands | External alterations to existing house; including 2 no. dormer windows, 1 no. ro | Approved |
| 26/00520/HOUSE Newbury Greenham | Single storey rear extension with rooflights. Part garage conversion. New garage | Approved |
| 26/00434/HOUSE Tilehurst & Purley | single storey side extension | Refused |
| 25/02915/FUL Bradfield | Erection of extension to existing children's home | Approved |
| 26/01097/DEMO Hungerford & Kintbury | Application to determine if prior approval is required for a proposed Demolition | Approved |
| 26/00842/HOUSE Burghfield & Mortimer | Front, side and rear part single and part double storey extensions following dem | 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 West Berkshire's 947 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare West Berkshire's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
More council comparisons coming soon.
Dig deeper into West Berkshire'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 West Berkshire. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 947 real decisions from West Berkshire 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 West Berkshire'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 947 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in West Berkshire is 88.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 947 planning decisions from West Berkshire council. 841 were approved and 106 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in West Berkshire is 88.8%, 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 West Berkshire? 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.