Cheltenham approves 96.6% of planning applications and refuses just 1 in 29. One of the lowest refusal rates in the country.
Cheltenham Borough Council received 1,846 planning applications in 2025 and, across decided applications, approved 96.6% of them, against a national average of 87.6%. It refused just 3.4%, about 1 in 29, where the country as a whole refuses 1 in 8. The project mix is close to the national pattern, led by home extensions. The story here is the outcome: this is among the easiest places in the country to get planning permission.
The year in one line
Cheltenham approves planning work at well above the national rate and refuses just 3.4% of applications, against a national 12.4%, making it one of the easiest places in the country to win permission.
What Cheltenham Is Building
Extensions lead, and the mix tracks the national norm.
Home extensions were the most common project type submitted to Cheltenham in 2025, at 25.8% of all applications, close to the national figure of 29.1%. Dormers, outbuildings and loft conversions follow, each running a little below the national share. Listed-building works came in at 2.5%, broadly in line with the 2.4% national share, a nod to Cheltenham's Regency stock. Demolition, at 4.2%, ran at less than half the 9.1% national rate. No single category stands out above the national norm; the distinguishing feature is the outcome, not the mix.
Applications submitted to Cheltenham Borough Council in 2025, by project type (pooled 2024-2025 counts).
No single outlier
No category clears the bar to count as a stand-out above the national average. Cheltenham's distinguishing feature is not what people apply to build, but how readily the council approves it.
The council verdict
A ready yes, almost every time.
Across decided applications in the Cheltenham area, the council approved 96.6% and refused just 3.4%, well below the 12.4% national refusal rate. That is about 1 in 29 applications turned down, against 1 in 8 nationally. The approval rate sits almost 9 points above the national benchmark, drawn from a pooled sample of over 3,200 decided cases.
About 1 in 29 Cheltenham applications was turned down.
of applications were refused, about 1 in 29, against 1 in 8 nationally. Cheltenham's 96.6% approval rate is well above the 87.6% national norm.
Cheltenham vs The National Norm
A conventional mix, an exceptionally easy yes.
Set Cheltenham's application mix against the national average and most categories run a little below the national share. The widest gap is demolition, at 4.2% against 9.1% nationally, meaning the town demolishes at less than half the national rate. Home extensions, dormers and outbuildings each sit a few points under the norm. No category stands out above the national average. What truly separates the town is the outcome: a refusal rate of 3.4%, less than a third of the national figure.
Cheltenham refuses just 3.4% of applications, against 12.4% nationally, less than a third of the national refusal rate. On the evidence, this is among the easiest councils in the country to win permission from.
Each bar is Cheltenham's share of applications submitted in 2025; the marker is the national share. The mix tracks below the norm; the approval rate is well above it.
Meanwhile, the market
Prices rose alongside the building work.
Permission may be easy to win here, but buying is not: the average Cheltenham home sold for a Regency-town premium in the latest full year.
Cheltenham's planning data is striking. Applications submitted to Cheltenham Borough Council in 2025 show a broad, conventional mix of household projects, but the council says yes at an exceptional rate, refusing fewer than 1 in 29 applications. For anyone weighing an extension or conversion in Cheltenham, the odds of a yes are about as good as they get anywhere in the country.
Where the numbers come from
Planning Data
Applications submitted to Cheltenham Borough Council in 2025, classified from each application's published description. Decision rates are computed over the pooled 2024-2025 decided applications for stability.
Decision Rates
Approval rate is approvals as a share of approvals plus refusals. 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 Cheltenham 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 Cheltenham Borough Council, from extensions and conversions to a listed-building consent and a refusal. Open any one to see its full record.
39 Winstonian Road GL52 2JD
A ground-floor extension and loft conversion were approved, the kind of household project Cheltenham files most and the council consistently waves through.
See this property's full record42 Lichfield Drive GL51 3DR
Permission was granted to remove an existing conservatory and replace it with a single-storey rear extension.
See this property's full record3 Cleeve Cloud Lane, Prestbury GL52 5SE
A garage conversion to a family room with a single-storey side extension was approved, one of many such conversions to win consent in Cheltenham.
See this property's full record26 Victoria Place GL52 2ES
Conditions on a granted listed-building consent were discharged, covering rainwater goods, a roof junction and new internal doors, reflecting Cheltenham's Regency-era heritage stock.
See this property's full record20 Cleevelands Drive GL50 4QB
A garage already converted into a downstairs bedroom and utility room was granted retrospective permission after the work was done.
See this property's full record17 Shelley Road GL51 7DN
A first-floor side and rear extension with an outbuilding was turned down, one of the roughly 1 in 29 applications the council refused.
See this property's full recordCurious about a home in Cheltenham?
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