Wiltshire planning approval rate

Wiltshire council approved 91.5% of planning applications and refused 8.5%, based on 210,657 decisions analysed. Ranked 161st out of 300 councils for strictness.

Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026

91.5%

overall approval rate

210,657

Decisions analysed

192,846

Approved

17,811

Refused

324

Wards covered

Planning in Wiltshire? 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 Wiltshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.

Full (122,169 decided)

90.3%

Trees (39,077 decided)

98.9%

Listed Building (21,691 decided)

92.2%

Other (10,231 decided)

80.1%

Discharge of Conditions (7,931 decided)

95.5%

Advertisement (3,805 decided)

86.1%

Certificate of Lawfulness (3,522 decided)

82.9%

Prior Approval (2,231 decided)

87.6%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Wiltshire, mined from 210,657 proposal descriptions.

Extension (General) (30,518 decided)

92.1%

Garage / Parking (28,673 decided)

88.3%

Rear Extension (16,085 decided)

94.5%

Conservatory (12,728 decided)

95.7%

Outbuilding (10,911 decided)

92.2%

Change of Use (Residential) (10,486 decided)

84.6%

Side Extension (9,708 decided)

94.4%

New Build (9,464 decided)

76.8%

Dormer (5,014 decided)

91.5%

Annex (2,944 decided)

88.1%

Loft Conversion (2,630 decided)

91.1%

Front Extension (1,962 decided)

95.6%

Wraparound Extension (946 decided)

94.8%

Basement (422 decided)

92.7%

Flat Conversion (336 decided)

83.6%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (109 decided)

92.7%

HMO (97 decided)

84.5%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Wiltshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

Historic (35,510 decided)

87.8%

Minety (Historic) (2,864 decided)

92.3%

By Brook (Historic) (2,675 decided)

91.7%

Kington (Historic) (2,540 decided)

90.1%

Brinkworth (Historic) (2,414 decided)

90.4%

Warminster Without (Historic) (2,178 decided)

91.1%

Box and Colerne (Historic) (2,122 decided)

91.4%

Calne Rural (Historic) (2,079 decided)

91.9%

Nadder and East Knoyle (Historic) (1,951 decided)

94.7%

Ethandune (Historic) (1,938 decided)

92.7%

Fovant and Chalke Valley (Historic) (1,816 decided)

96.4%

Malmesbury (Historic) (1,782 decided)

93.8%

Salisbury St. Edmund and Milford (Historic) (1,653 decided)

91.7%

Cricklade and Latton (Historic) (1,608 decided)

88.6%

Corsham Without and Box Hill (Historic) (1,593 decided)

91.3%

Burbage and The Bedwyns (Historic) (1,496 decided)

95.7%

Marlborough West (Historic) (1,461 decided)

94.1%

Pewsey Vale (Historic) (1,443 decided)

93.8%

Bradford-on-Avon South (Historic) (1,409 decided)

94.4%

Summerham and Seend (Historic) (1,380 decided)

95.4%

Wards in Wiltshire

Historic

87.8% approval · 35,510 decisions

Minety (Historic)

92.3% approval · 2,864 decisions

By Brook (Historic)

91.7% approval · 2,675 decisions

Kington (Historic)

90.1% approval · 2,540 decisions

Brinkworth (Historic)

90.4% approval · 2,414 decisions

Warminster Without (Historic)

91.1% approval · 2,178 decisions

Box and Colerne (Historic)

91.4% approval · 2,122 decisions

Calne Rural (Historic)

91.9% approval · 2,079 decisions

Nadder and East Knoyle (Historic)

94.7% approval · 1,951 decisions

Ethandune (Historic)

92.7% approval · 1,938 decisions

Fovant and Chalke Valley (Historic)

96.4% approval · 1,816 decisions

Malmesbury (Historic)

93.8% approval · 1,782 decisions

Salisbury St. Edmund and Milford (Historic)

91.7% approval · 1,653 decisions

Cricklade and Latton (Historic)

88.6% approval · 1,608 decisions

Corsham Without and Box Hill (Historic)

91.3% approval · 1,593 decisions

Burbage and The Bedwyns (Historic)

95.7% approval · 1,496 decisions

Marlborough West (Historic)

94.1% approval · 1,461 decisions

Pewsey Vale (Historic)

93.8% approval · 1,443 decisions

Bradford-on-Avon South (Historic)

94.4% approval · 1,409 decisions

Summerham and Seend (Historic)

95.4% approval · 1,380 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Wiltshire, showing how the council decides real applications.

PL/2026/04142

Non material amendment on PL/2026/01824 for a proposed slight extension and real · Westbury East ED · 2026-08-04

Approved

PL/2026/02935

Discharge of details for Condition 6 (Existing windows, floors and ceiling detai · Salisbury St. Edmund's ED · 2026-07-15

Approved

PL/2026/04075

Conversion of single garage to kitchen and minor internal alteration to form ann · Salisbury Harnham West ED · 2026-07-13

Approved

Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Wiltshire, 1 in 12 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 Wiltshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Free planning check for Wiltshire →

Free. Based on 210,657 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

Swindon Dorset New Forest

Frequently asked questions about planning in Wiltshire

What is the planning approval rate in Wiltshire?

Based on 210,657 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Wiltshire approved 91.5% of applications and refused 8.5%. The council is ranked 161st out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.

How many planning applications are refused in Wiltshire?

Wiltshire refuses 8.5% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 12. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 210,657 decided applications since 2020, 17,811 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.

Which areas of Wiltshire have the highest planning approval rates?

The highest approval rates in Wiltshire are in Salisbury Bemerton Heath ED (98.5%), Devizes and Roundway South (Historic) (98.0%), and Pewsey Vale West ED (97.9%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.

What types of planning application are most common in Wiltshire?

The most common planning application types in Wiltshire are: Full (122,169 decisions, 90.3% approved), Trees (39,077, 98.9%), and Listed Building (21,691, 92.2%).

How long does a planning application take in Wiltshire?

Planning applications in Wiltshire take an average of 9.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 209,615 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. Wiltshire decides approximately 35,110 planning applications per year.

How do I check planning applications in Wiltshire?

You can search planning applications in Wiltshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 210,657 historical decisions in Wiltshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.

How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Wiltshire calculated?

PlanningLens scrapes Wiltshire'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.

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