Burton upon Trent approves 92.5% of planning applications. Heritage town, easy council.
East Staffordshire council received 926 planning applications in the Burton upon Trent area in 2025. Of the 1,669 it decided across 2024 and 2025, it approved 92.5%, well above the national rate of 87.6%. Just 1 in 13 applications was refused, compared with 1 in 8 nationally. Listed-building works ran at nearly three times the national rate, the fingerprint of a town built on brewing-era industry with a deep stock of historic buildings.
The year in one line
Burton upon Trent files listed-building works at nearly three times the national rate and wins permission more easily than most, with East Staffordshire approving 92.5% of decisions against a national average of 87.6%.
What Burton upon Trent Is Building
Extensions lead, heritage work stands out.
Home extensions were the most common project, making up 32.3% of all applications submitted to East Staffordshire in 2025, a little above the national norm. The figure that stands out is listed-building work: 6.8% of applications, nearly three times the national share of 2.4%. Demolition also ran above the national rate at 13.4% versus 9.1% nationally. This is the application mix of an old brewing town with a substantial stock of historic buildings.
Applications submitted to East Staffordshire in the Burton upon Trent area, 2024-2025 pooled, by project type.
The heritage effect
Burton files listed-building applications at 2.8 times the national rate. Its brewing-era building stock means more work requires formal listed-building consent before it can proceed.
The council verdict
Easy to win permission, and change of use is active.
East Staffordshire approved 92.5% of the 1,669 applications it decided across 2024-2025, refusing just 7.5%, well below the national refusal rate of 12.4%. Change of use to residential ran at twice the national share, reflecting active conversion activity in the area.
About 1 in 13 Burton applications was turned down.
Change-of-use to residential applications above the national rate, alongside the 2.8x listed-building multiple. Permission wins are likely: 92.5% of decided applications were approved.
Burton upon Trent vs The National Norm
A heritage-heavy mix with an easy council.
Set Burton's mix against the national average and two categories stand out. Listed-building works run at nearly three times the national share. Change of use to residential runs at twice. Demolition is also above average. The rest of the workload is broadly normal: extensions filed at a share slightly above the national figure and approved far more often than the average council allows.
Burton files listed-building applications at nearly three times the national rate, the legacy of its brewing-era building stock. East Staffordshire approves 92.5% of what it decides.
Each bar is Burton's share of applications; the figure on the right is the national share. Listed-building works are the town's defining outlier at 2.8x the national rate.
Meanwhile, the market
Prices held up alongside the building work.
Permission may be easy to win here, and buying remains within reach: the average Burton upon Trent home sold for well below the national figure in the latest full year.
Burton upon Trent is one of the easier places in the country to get planning permission. East Staffordshire approves 92.5% of applications it decides, well above the national rate of 87.6%, and refuses just 1 in 13. The standout in the mix is listed-building work, filed at nearly three times the national rate, which tells you something about the age and character of the building stock here.
Where the numbers come from
Planning Data
Applications submitted to East Staffordshire in the Burton upon Trent area in 2025 (volume), with approval and category shares computed over 2024-2025 pooled for stability. Classified from each application's published description.
Decision Rates
Approval rate is approvals as a share of approvals plus refusals, computed over all decided applications. The national benchmarks are computed the same way across all decided applications in England and Wales.
Sales Data
HM Land Registry Price Paid Data for the Burton upon Trent post town, the latest full year's completions, with growth measured against the previous year.
The Real Applications
Open the planning applications behind the numbers.
These are real applications submitted to East Staffordshire in the Burton upon Trent area, from listed-building works and change-of-use conversions to extensions and retrospective consents. Open any one to see its full record.
Stonewood Manor Manor Walk, Kings Bromley DE13 7JB
An existing garage was converted into a self-contained residential annex, one of the change-of-use and conversion applications Burton submits at above the national rate.
See this property's full record117 Blackpool Street DE14 3AU
A part two-storey, part single-storey rear extension with a new first-floor side window was approved, the most common project type in Burton.
See this property's full record37 Mill End Lane, Alrewas DE13 7BY
Listed-building works to enable a single-storey rear extension were turned down, one of the rare refusals from a council that approves 92.5% of what it decides.
See this property's full record102 Burton Road, Branston DE14 3DN
A plan for part two-storey, part single-storey rear and front extensions with a rear dormer was refused, one of the roughly 1 in 13 the council says no to.
See this property's full record5 Thorpe Close, Stapenhill DE15 9GS
An integral garage was converted into a granny annexe with external alterations, one of the garage conversion applications in the town's active conversion mix.
See this property's full record65 Lightwood Road, Yoxall DE13 8QE
A single-storey detached garden room was approved, one of the outbuilding projects that make up a steady share of Burton's workload.
See this property's full recordCurious about a home in Burton upon Trent?
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