West Oxfordshire planning approval rate
West Oxfordshire council approved 94.5% of planning applications and refused 5.5%, based on 7,591 decisions analysed. Ranked 239th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
94.5%
overall approval rate
7,591
Decisions analysed
7,177
Approved
414
Refused
27
Wards covered
Planning in West Oxfordshire? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in West Oxfordshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
93.6%
96.9%
97.1%
99.9%
90.8%
87.6%
92.8%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in West Oxfordshire, mined from 7,591 proposal descriptions.
92.0%
96.1%
95.5%
95.1%
85.4%
96.2%
96.7%
98.0%
95.5%
89.2%
94.6%
100.0%
96.6%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within West Oxfordshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Kingham, Rollright and Enstone
96.0%
Woodstock and Bladon
92.3%
Eynsham and Cassington
92.0%
Hailey, Minster Lovell and Leafield
93.8%
Charlbury and Finstock
95.4%
Standlake, Aston and Stanton Harcourt
92.3%
Alvescot and Filkins
96.3%
Chipping Norton
94.0%
Stonesfield and Tackley
95.7%
Burford
97.4%
Chadlington and Churchill
94.5%
Bampton and Clanfield
94.4%
Ascott and Shipton
96.4%
Brize Norton and Shilton
93.1%
Witney South
97.8%
Freeland and Hanborough
89.7%
The Bartons
97.7%
Milton Under Wychwood
94.9%
Ducklington
90.6%
Witney West
95.7%
Wards in West Oxfordshire
Kingham, Rollright and Enstone
96.0% approval · 851 decisions
Woodstock and Bladon
92.3% approval · 430 decisions
Eynsham and Cassington
92.0% approval · 425 decisions
Hailey, Minster Lovell and Leafield
93.8% approval · 416 decisions
Charlbury and Finstock
95.4% approval · 395 decisions
Standlake, Aston and Stanton Harcourt
92.3% approval · 390 decisions
Alvescot and Filkins
96.3% approval · 379 decisions
Chipping Norton
94.0% approval · 365 decisions
Stonesfield and Tackley
95.7% approval · 351 decisions
Burford
97.4% approval · 348 decisions
Chadlington and Churchill
94.5% approval · 325 decisions
Bampton and Clanfield
94.4% approval · 301 decisions
Ascott and Shipton
96.4% approval · 253 decisions
Brize Norton and Shilton
93.1% approval · 247 decisions
Witney South
97.8% approval · 229 decisions
Freeland and Hanborough
89.7% approval · 223 decisions
The Bartons
97.7% approval · 220 decisions
Milton Under Wychwood
94.9% approval · 198 decisions
Ducklington
90.6% approval · 191 decisions
Witney West
95.7% approval · 188 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in West Oxfordshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Internal and external alterations to convert storage area of loft to create seco · Witney West · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Conversion of storage area of loft to create second floor bathroom, including in · Witney West · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Erection of a front extension to provide additional living accommodation, includ · Burford · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In West Oxfordshire, 1 in 18 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in West Oxfordshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for West Oxfordshire →
✓ Common refusal reasons in West Oxfordshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 7,591 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in West Oxfordshire
What is the planning approval rate in West Oxfordshire?
Based on 7,591 planning decisions analysed since 2020, West Oxfordshire approved 94.5% of applications and refused 5.5%. The council is ranked 239th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in West Oxfordshire?
West Oxfordshire refuses 5.5% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 18. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 7,591 decided applications since 2020, 414 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of West Oxfordshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in West Oxfordshire are in Witney South (97.8%), The Bartons (97.7%), and Burford (97.4%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in West Oxfordshire?
The most common planning application types in West Oxfordshire are: Full (3,732 decisions, 93.6% approved), Discharge of Conditions (1,463, 96.9%), and Listed Building (753, 97.1%).
How long does a planning application take in West Oxfordshire?
Planning applications in West Oxfordshire take an average of 9.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 7,578 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. West Oxfordshire decides approximately 1,265 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in West Oxfordshire?
You can search planning applications in West Oxfordshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 7,591 historical decisions in West Oxfordshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for West Oxfordshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes West Oxfordshire's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.