Woking Council approves 83.9% of planning applications, based on 3,347 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%. Woking sits 4.6 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,420 decided applications, Woking Council approved 83.9% of planning applications in 2025. Across 3,347 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Woking is 83.9%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Woking 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 Woking.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,240 | 316 | 1,556 | 79.7% |
| Trees | 722 | 47 | 769 | 93.9% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 429 | 16 | 445 | 96.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 192 | 69 | 261 | 73.6% |
| Other | 146 | 69 | 215 | 67.9% |
| Advertisement | 44 | 14 | 58 | 75.9% |
| Listed Building | 26 | 5 | 31 | 83.9% |
| Prior Approval | 8 | 3 | 11 | 72.7% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathlands | 436 | 89 | 525 | 83.0% |
| Canalside | 353 | 95 | 448 | 78.8% |
| Horsell | 378 | 57 | 435 | 86.9% |
| Pyrford | 351 | 63 | 414 | 84.8% |
| Byfleet And West Byfleet | 334 | 60 | 394 | 84.8% |
| Mount Hermon | 327 | 39 | 366 | 89.3% |
| Knaphill | 183 | 37 | 220 | 83.2% |
| Hoe Valley | 170 | 47 | 217 | 78.3% |
| St Johns | 167 | 31 | 198 | 84.3% |
| Goldsworth Park | 101 | 19 | 120 | 84.2% |
How Woking’s planning approval rate has changed year by year — up 6.3pp since 2024.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Woking council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| TREE/2026/8119 Horsell | Large Leylandii tree (T1) in back garden - Fell. (Works within Waldens Park Road | Approved |
| TREE/2026/8111 Pyrford | T1 : Oak on the left rear boundary - Crown lift to give a 5 meter clearance from | Approved |
| TREE/2026/8109 Canalside | (T1) : Oak tree - Reduce crown of tree by 3/4m off top and 2m off sides to shape | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0336 Pyrford | Erection of a detached garage following demolition of the existing outbuilding ( | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0270 Heathlands | Erection of a single storey rear extension, first floor rear extension, open tim | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0265 Mount Hermon | Retrospective application for front gates with pillars. | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0314 Byfleet And West Byfleet | Erection of a side dormer, 2No roof lights, changes to fenestration, demolition | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0288 Heathlands | Erection of a single storey side and rear extension, following the demolition of | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0328 Hoe Valley | Erection of a single storey rear extension following demolition of existing cons | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0324 Heathlands | Certificate of Existing Lawful Development for a detached outbuilding in the rea | 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 Woking's 3,347 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Woking's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
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Dig deeper into Woking'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 Woking. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 3,347 real decisions from Woking 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 Woking'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 3,347 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Woking is 83.9%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 3,347 planning decisions from Woking council. 2,808 were approved and 539 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Woking is 83.9%, 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 Woking? 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.