Planning Approval Rate in South Kesteven
South Kesteven is somewhat more approving than the England average for planning permission: it approves 90.1% of applications and decides 86.1% of them within the statutory time limit, ranking #125 of 310 English authorities. This is the approval-rate record for South Kesteven: how hard it is to get planning permission, how quickly the council decides, and how it compares with its neighbours, from official government statistics.
Looking for a particular application rather than the statistics? Search South Kesteven planning applications by postcode on PlanWatch.
Source: official MHCLG planning statistics (PS2), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Based on 980 decisions (883 granted, 97 refused).
How South Kesteven compares
| South Kesteven | 90.1% |
| East Midlands average | 89.8% |
| England average | 87% |
South Kesteven is 3.1 points easier than the England average.
How hard is it to get planning permission in South Kesteven?
South Kesteven is a little more approving than the median English authority, granting 90.1% of the applications it decides (rank 125th of 310). That puts it somewhat more approving than the England average — 90.1% approved against an England average of 87%. Within East Midlands it is the 20th most approving of 35 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 89.8%. Refusals are uncommon here: 97 of its 980 decisions were refusals (9.9%). On the split by scale it is about as likely to approve major schemes as small ones: 90% of major developments approved versus 92.4% of householder and other small-scale work, from 40 major decisions.
On timing it is a little slower than average, deciding 86.1% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on a mid-sized caseload of 980 decisions over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, where the typical English authority decides around 783. Among its East Midlands neighbours it sits between Blaby (90.8%, more approving) and West Northamptonshire (90%, stricter). For context in East Midlands, North Kesteven approves the most (97.2%) and Oadby and Wigston the least (71.7%).
Compare South Kesteven with nearby councils
Approval rates for other authorities in East Midlands. See the full East Midlands league table.
Approval rate by development scale in South Kesteven
Live planning activity in South Kesteven District Council
From the latest planning data PlanWatch holds (to 8 October 2026). These are the records we've collected — the freshness the annual government table lacks.
What people apply for in South Kesteven District Council
Where planning activity concentrates in South Kesteven District Council
Recent applications in South Kesteven District Council
This is a sample, not the full register. Search South Kesteven planning applications by postcode.
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Planning permission in South Kesteven: common questions
Is it hard to get planning permission in South Kesteven?
On the latest official figures South Kesteven is somewhat more approving than the England average and a little more approving than the median English authority, approving 90.1% of the 980 applications it decided over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 against 87% for England.
What percentage of planning applications does South Kesteven approve or refuse?
Refusals are uncommon here: 90.1% approved and 9.9% refused — 883 granted and 97 refused of 980 decisions, with major schemes approved at 90% and householder and other work at 92.4%.
How quickly does South Kesteven decide planning applications?
On timing South Kesteven is a little slower than average: 86.1% of applications were decided within the statutory period — eight weeks for most, thirteen for major schemes — against 90.6% nationally.
Is South Kesteven stricter than nearby councils?
South Kesteven's 90.1% approval rate makes it the 20th most approving of 35 authorities in East Midlands, against a 89.8% regional average. Neighbouring Blaby approves 90.8% and West Northamptonshire 90%.
Can I use South Kesteven's approval rate to predict whether my application will be approved?
No — the approval rate is a historic average across every application South Kesteven decided, not a prediction for any individual application; your outcome depends on the site, the proposal, local planning policy and any objections.
Methodology & limits
Approval, refusal and in-time rates come from the government's official PS2 planning application statistics (Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government), covering 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. This dataset is England-only and published annually, so it lags live activity. Live figures are the applications PlanWatch has collected for South Kesteven District Council and are not a complete council register. Refusal reasons and delegated-vs-committee splits are not published in this data.
This is a historic average, not a prediction. It cannot tell you whether your application will be approved — that depends on your site, proposal, local policy and any objections.
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