West Berkshire Council approves 87.5% of planning applications, based on 631 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. West Berkshire sits 2.5 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 631 decided applications on record (December 2025 to September 2026), West Berkshire Council approved 87.5% of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of West Berkshire 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 West Berkshire.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 537 | 65 | 602 | 89.2% |
| Trees | 297 | 10 | 307 | 96.7% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 213 | 26 | 239 | 89.1% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 103 | 31 | 134 | 76.9% |
| Other | 103 | 17 | 120 | 85.8% |
| Listed Building | 71 | 2 | 73 | 97.3% |
| Advertisement | 19 | 0 | 19 | 100.0% |
| Change of Use | 6 | 3 | 9 | 66.7% |
| Prior Approval | 7 | 0 | 7 | 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 | 159 | 17 | 176 | 90.3% |
| Chieveley & Cold Ash | 93 | 8 | 101 | 92.1% |
| Burghfield & Mortimer | 88 | 10 | 98 | 89.8% |
| Newbury Central | 83 | 5 | 88 | 94.3% |
| Downlands | 76 | 5 | 81 | 93.8% |
| Newbury Speen | 77 | 4 | 81 | 95.1% |
| Newbury Wash Common | 70 | 7 | 77 | 90.9% |
| Basildon | 66 | 10 | 76 | 86.8% |
| Bucklebury | 67 | 7 | 74 | 90.5% |
| Ridgeway | 66 | 6 | 72 | 91.7% |
| Lambourn | 58 | 9 | 67 | 86.6% |
| Aldermaston | 54 | 10 | 64 | 84.4% |
| Tilehurst & Purley | 53 | 5 | 58 | 91.4% |
| Bradfield | 45 | 10 | 55 | 81.8% |
| Newbury Greenham | 43 | 9 | 52 | 82.7% |
| Pangbourne | 42 | 7 | 49 | 85.7% |
| Tilehurst Birch Copse | 36 | 6 | 42 | 85.7% |
| Theale | 39 | 2 | 41 | 95.1% |
| Newbury Clay Hill | 33 | 1 | 34 | 97.1% |
| Thatcham Central | 24 | 2 | 26 | 92.3% |
| Tilehurst South & Holybrook | 18 | 8 | 26 | 69.2% |
| Thatcham North East | 23 | 2 | 25 | 92.0% |
| Thatcham West | 22 | 2 | 24 | 91.7% |
| Thatcham Colthrop & Crookham | 20 | 2 | 22 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01775/CERTP Tilehurst South & Holybrook | Proposed loft conversion. | Refused |
| 26/01741/HOUSE Bucklebury | Erection of a single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/01682/HOUSE Hungerford & Kintbury | Proposed single storey side extension and associated alterations | Approved |
| 26/01620/HOUSE Lambourn | Part two storey rear extension and part one storey rear extension. Existing bric | Approved |
| 26/01628/HOUSE Burghfield & Mortimer | Proposed side and rear single and 2 storey extensions and alterations | Refused |
| 26/01615/LBC Ridgeway | Replace windows in house with new double glazed versions based on designs to rep | Approved |
| 26/01439/HOUSE Aldermaston | Retrospective application for a single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 21/01501/COMIND Downlands | Formation of equine veterinary hospital complex including the erection of main h | Approved |
| 26/01808/COND Hungerford & Kintbury | Application for approval of details reserved by condition 3 (New windows/doors) | Approved |
| 26/01676/HOUSE Newbury Central | Two storey and single storey rear extensions | 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 631 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 631 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 631 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in West Berkshire is 87.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 631 planning decisions from West Berkshire council. 552 were approved and 79 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, December 2025 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in West Berkshire is 87.5%, 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.