Planning applications in Basingstoke

Planning in Basingstoke

When Basingstoke and Deane refuses an application, character and design lead the reasons, with trees and the countryside close behind. Of 564 recent refusals we read, about two in three mentioned the size, bulk or design of the work, and about six in ten the look of the street or area. About a third raised trees, a similar share building outside towns and villages, and about three in ten said not enough information had been supplied. A quarter mentioned heritage, a similar share parking, access or road safety, and about one in eight neighbours’ light, privacy or outlook. If your property has mature trees nearby, it is worth getting that detail right in the application.

Overall, the council refuses less often than the areas we cover. Of more than 24,000 applications decided since 2016, about 1 in 9 was refused, compared with about 1 in 7 across the areas we cover. Rear extensions (about 1 in 24), front extensions and porches (about 1 in 29) and side extensions and windows and doors (both about 1 in 19) are rarely turned down. Loft conversions and dormers are about 1 in 18, solar panels about 1 in 15, garden rooms and outbuildings about 1 in 13 and fences, walls and gates about 1 in 10.

Driveways and dropped kerbs stand out the other way: refused about 1 in 7 times, which is more often than any other common project here, though still better than the 1 in 5 nationally.

Householder applications took a median of 8.0 weeks to decide between 2023 and 2025, with about 63% decided within 8 weeks.

The busiest year was 2021, with 2,772 applications. In 2025 there were 1,962, against an average of about 2,100 a year in the three years before, and refusals eased from about 1 in 7 to about 1 in 9. The area has 43 conservation areas and 1,606 listed buildings, so if your home is in one of them, expect closer attention to materials and windows.

Figures in this section as of 9 October 2026.