Woking Council approves 80.8% of planning applications, based on 4,357 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Woking sits 4.2 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,423 decided applications, Woking Council approved 83.9% of planning applications in 2025. Across 4,357 decisions on record (June 2021 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Woking is 80.8%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Woking council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 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 Woking.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 3,131 | 718 | 3,849 | 81.3% |
| Trees | 1,726 | 89 | 1,815 | 95.1% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,025 | 36 | 1,061 | 96.6% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 436 | 124 | 560 | 77.9% |
| Other | 410 | 121 | 531 | 77.2% |
| Advertisement | 113 | 15 | 128 | 88.3% |
| Prior Approval | 39 | 35 | 74 | 52.7% |
| Listed Building | 67 | 6 | 73 | 91.8% |
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 | 1,052 | 200 | 1,252 | 84.0% |
| Horsell | 938 | 126 | 1,064 | 88.2% |
| Pyrford | 899 | 135 | 1,034 | 86.9% |
| Byfleet And West Byfleet | 851 | 121 | 972 | 87.6% |
| Canalside | 808 | 155 | 963 | 83.9% |
| Mount Hermon | 758 | 83 | 841 | 90.1% |
| St Johns | 483 | 87 | 570 | 84.7% |
| Knaphill | 454 | 91 | 545 | 83.3% |
| Hoe Valley | 434 | 95 | 529 | 82.0% |
| Goldsworth Park | 245 | 46 | 291 | 84.2% |
| Not Available, if this is a comment please see the Documents Tab | 8 | 2 | 10 | 80.0% |
How Woking’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.2pp since 2021.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PLAN/2026/0562 St Johns | Erection of a single storey rear extension, part first floor side and rear exten | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0554 Heathlands | Erection of a single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0513 St Johns | Erection of a proposed single storey front extension to existing attached garage | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0494 Goldsworth Park | Installation of an air source heat pump, rear solar panels and EV charging point | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0480 Mount Hermon | Erection of a single storey rear extension and 2m high fence along part of SE an | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0560 Canalside | Certificate of Proposed Lawful Development for the erection of a hip to gable ro | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0520 Mount Hermon | Alterations to the width of existing front boundary treatment to facilitate the | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0172 Pyrford | Erection of a single storey side extension. | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0545 Hoe Valley | Temporary conversion of existing garage/store to habitable accommodation (Retros | Approved |
| PLAN/2026/0485 Byfleet And West Byfleet | Erection of a rear garden room to replace existing conservatory. | 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 4,357 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Woking's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
More council comparisons coming soon.
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 4,357 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 4,357 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Woking is 80.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 4,357 planning decisions from Woking council. 3,521 were approved and 836 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, June 2021 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Woking is 80.8%, 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.