West Berkshire Council approves 89.6% of planning applications, based on 1,216 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. West Berkshire sits 1.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,216 decided applications published since January 2020, West Berkshire Council approved 89.6% of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of West Berkshire council planning portal records · Updated August 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, 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 West Berkshire.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 436 | 56 | 492 | 88.6% |
| Trees | 234 | 9 | 243 | 96.3% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 174 | 20 | 194 | 89.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 77 | 23 | 100 | 77.0% |
| Other | 82 | 15 | 97 | 84.5% |
| Listed Building | 60 | 1 | 61 | 98.4% |
| Advertisement | 14 | 0 | 14 | 100.0% |
| Change of Use | 6 | 3 | 9 | 66.7% |
| 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 | 131 | 16 | 147 | 89.1% |
| Chieveley & Cold Ash | 78 | 7 | 85 | 91.8% |
| Burghfield & Mortimer | 69 | 8 | 77 | 89.6% |
| Newbury Central | 71 | 5 | 76 | 93.4% |
| Downlands | 62 | 5 | 67 | 92.5% |
| Basildon | 55 | 8 | 63 | 87.3% |
| Ridgeway | 58 | 4 | 62 | 93.5% |
| Bucklebury | 54 | 7 | 61 | 88.5% |
| Newbury Speen | 55 | 4 | 59 | 93.2% |
| Newbury Wash Common | 50 | 6 | 56 | 89.3% |
| Lambourn | 48 | 4 | 52 | 92.3% |
| Tilehurst & Purley | 45 | 4 | 49 | 91.8% |
| Aldermaston | 42 | 7 | 49 | 85.7% |
| Bradfield | 37 | 9 | 46 | 80.4% |
| Pangbourne | 34 | 7 | 41 | 82.9% |
| Newbury Greenham | 31 | 7 | 38 | 81.6% |
| Theale | 32 | 2 | 34 | 94.1% |
| Newbury Clay Hill | 31 | 1 | 32 | 96.9% |
| Tilehurst Birch Copse | 20 | 4 | 24 | 83.3% |
| Thatcham Central | 21 | 1 | 22 | 95.5% |
| Thatcham West | 20 | 2 | 22 | 90.9% |
| Tilehurst South & Holybrook | 14 | 5 | 19 | 73.7% |
| Thatcham North East | 16 | 2 | 18 | 88.9% |
| Thatcham Colthrop & Crookham | 14 | 2 | 16 | 87.5% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01304/TPW Chieveley & Cold Ash | T1&T2: Dismantle and fell two ash trees either side or gate to ground level. Ash | Approved |
| 26/01244/TPW Newbury Wash Common | Completion to front area to T5 as per Tree ScheduleRemove one lower decayed limb | Approved |
| 26/01146/HOUSE Basildon | Erection of greenhouse (retrospective) | Approved |
| 26/01181/HOUSE Newbury Wash Common | Erection of a single-storey open oak-framed gazebo with cedar shingle gabled roo | Approved |
| 26/01175/CERTP Newbury Greenham | Installation of 22 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the existing pitched roof s | Approved |
| 26/01032/PIP Chieveley & Cold Ash | Application for Permission in Principle for Demolition of existing dwelling and | Refused |
| 26/01370/AGRIC Ridgeway | Application to determine if prior approval is required for a proposed: New build | Approved |
| 26/01269/LBC Hungerford & Kintbury | Demolition of existing greenhouses and erection of replacement greenhouse within | Approved |
| 26/01205/LBC Hungerford & Kintbury | Removal of existing conservatory and making good the affected area. Replace curr | Approved |
| 26/01202/HOUSE Ridgeway | Proposed double storey side extension and single storey rear extension with new | 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 1,216 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 1,216 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 1,216 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in West Berkshire is 89.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,216 planning decisions from West Berkshire council. 1,089 were approved and 127 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in West Berkshire is 89.6%, 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 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.