Planning permission in Woking
What actually happens to planning applications decided by Woking Borough Council: approval rates, decision times, appeal odds and the development plan they are judged against. Figures cover 2,817 applications decided in the two years to July 2026, from the council's public planning register.
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How long does planning permission take in Woking?
Half of decided applications took 56 days or less from validation to decision. The middle 50% of applications took between 49 and 73 days, and 59.2% were decided inside the 8-week statutory target for minor applications. Complex or contested schemes take longer.
The Woking local plan
The development plan is the Core Strategy (2012), the Development Management Policies document (2016) and the Site Allocations document (2021), plus three made neighbourhood plans (Hook Heath, Pyrford and West Byfleet).
A new local plan covering 2027 to 2044 is at an early evidence-gathering stage, with publication expected from 2027.
What tends to shape decisions here: The Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area zone of influence covers much of the borough, so most net new homes need SANG and SAMM mitigation. The council currently concedes a housing land supply below five years (around 4.6 years) and applies the tilted balance accordingly.
If Woking says no: appeal odds
Between 2021 and 2025 the Planning Inspectorate overturned 33.0% of appealed Woking refusals (70 of 212 decided appeals). The national average is 31.1%. More detail, including how Woking ranks nationally: planning appeals in Woking.
Source: decisions published on the Woking Borough Council public planning register, two years to July 2026. Approval rate = approvals divided by approvals plus refusals; withdrawn applications and other outcomes are excluded. We track 10,471 Woking applications in total. Plan facts as of July 2026; always check the council's own pages for the latest position.
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