92% of garage conversion planning applications near Solihull are approved
We looked at every garage conversion planning application made to eight councils around Solihull, Birmingham and Coventry from 2016 to October 2026. That is 3,630 applications for planning permission and 525 for lawful development certificates, from PlanIt and each council's own planning register. We also read all 141 refusal letters we could open, to see why the few refusals happened.
Researched and checked by Ben CriddleLast updated October 2026Last reviewed October 2026
Source: Garage Conversions Solihull research (2026-10-15). Applications, not conversions: most garage conversions need no application at all.
Key findings
- Approved92.2%3,247 of 3,520 decided garage conversion planning applications to eight West Midlands councils were approved, 2016 to October 2026.
- Solihull98.1%Solihull Council approved 1,020 of 1,040 decided garage conversion planning applications.
- Typical wait53 daysThe typical garage conversion planning decision took 53 days; 72.3% were decided within eight weeks.
- Parking1 in 141Losing a parking space was the reason in one of 141 garage conversion refusal letters read.
- Rising60% moreGarage conversion planning applications rose from 286 in 2016 to 458 in 2025 across the eight councils.
- Conversion alone28%Only 28% of garage conversion planning applications were for the conversion alone; the rest added other work.
- Most named room328A home office or study was the room named most often (328 applications), ahead of living rooms (289) and bedrooms (272).
- Certificates79.2%397 of 501 decided lawful development certificates for garage conversions were granted.
Council by council
Every council approved more than eight in ten. Withdrawn applications count as not approved, so these figures are, if anything, cautious.
- Solihull98.1%1,020 of 1,040 decided applications approved; 8 refused. Typical wait 50 days.
- North Warwickshire96.8%91 of 94 decided applications approved; 1 refused. Typical wait 52 days.
- Bromsgrove and Redditch95.4%289 of 303 decided applications approved; 5 refused. Typical wait 54 days.
- Coventry92.3%624 of 676 decided applications approved; 19 refused. Typical wait 55 days.
- Warwick90.7%323 of 356 decided applications approved; 14 refused. Typical wait 56 days.
- Stratford-on-Avon87.2%395 of 453 decided applications approved; 19 refused. Typical wait 56 days.
- Birmingham84.4%505 of 598 decided applications approved; 40 refused. Typical wait 44 days.
Bromsgrove and Redditch are two councils sharing one planning service, so they share one set of figures. Source: Garage Conversions Solihull research (2026-10-15).
More homeowners are applying every year
Applications across the eight councils rose by 60% between 2016 and 2025, from 286 to 458 a year.
Full years only. Source: Garage Conversions Solihull research (2026-10-15).
What people turn their garage into
Where an application named the new room, a home office or study came first. Many applications name more than one room.
Source: Garage Conversions Solihull research (2026-10-15).
Why some applications are refused
Of 3,520 decided applications, 106 were refused. We read all 141 refusal letters we could open.
- Mostly other work in the same plans. Extensions that broke the council's rules, dormers, a new garage in front of the house, Green Belt extensions and protected trees.
- Where the conversion itself was refused, it was about the front. A bay window, a porch in the wrong materials, new openings beside a listed building, or turning the garage into a separate home.
- Parking almost never. Losing the garage as parking was the reason in one letter. That was Warwick in 2018, for a plan that also put a new garage in front. Warwick's officer reports repeatedly say losing a garage would not leave a home short of parking.
- Solihull: we found no refusal of an ordinary conversion into a room of the house outside the Green Belt.
Letters read: Solihull 34 of 34; Birmingham 54 of 54; Bromsgrove and Redditch 7 of 7; Warwick 15 of 15; Stratford-on-Avon 24 of 24; Coventry 7 of 22. The 15 older Coventry letters are only offered as file downloads and were not read. Source: Garage Conversions Solihull research (2026-10-15).
Lawful development certificates
A certificate is the council confirming in writing that a conversion needs no planning permission. 79.2% of decided applications were granted (397 of 501), with a typical wait of 47 days.
- Solihull74.2%72 of 97 decided certificates granted.
- North Warwickshire100%3 of 3 decided certificates granted.
- Bromsgrove and Redditch88.4%38 of 43 decided certificates granted.
- Coventry72.7%32 of 44 decided certificates granted.
- Warwick85.1%80 of 94 decided certificates granted.
- Stratford-on-Avon79.5%97 of 122 decided certificates granted.
- Birmingham76.5%75 of 98 decided certificates granted.
Most refusals were homes on estates where a condition had removed permitted development rights, or plans with other work too big to count. In Solihull, 7 of the 15 refused certificates were removed rights, with conditions dated 1972, 1979, 1993 and 2005. Five of those seven homes went on to get full planning permission; the other two were refused recently.
North Warwickshire decided only 3 certificates, so its figure is not a reliable rate. Source: Garage Conversions Solihull research (2026-10-15).
How we did it
We took every planning application from 2016 to October 2026 that turned a garage into part of a home. They came from PlanIt, which collects each council's planning register, and we sorted them with rules we checked by hand. We then read the refusal letters on each council's own planning site.
- Coverage: checked against the councils' own searches: Solihull 72 of 74 and 97 of 100 for two sample years, Birmingham 72 of 75.
- Decisions: 15 of 15 Solihull samples matched the council's record.
- Sorting: checked by hand on random samples, about 98 in 100 right.
- Counted apart: garages turned into separate homes (119), businesses (60) and care homes (20).
- Left out: 32 recent Coventry applications with no decision yet, and 15 older Coventry letters only offered as downloads.
The limits. These are applications, not conversions. Most garage conversions need no application at all, so this is not a count of conversions done. PlanIt is a good record of council registers but not a perfect one. "Approved" means approved by the council, not built. Figures may change slightly as late decisions are added.
All the figures
| Council | Applications | Approved | Refused | Typical days | Certificates granted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solihull | 1,056 | 98.1% (1,020 of 1,040) | 8 | 50 | 74.2% (72 of 97) |
| North Warwickshire | 98 | 96.8% (91 of 94) | 1 | 52 | 100% (3 of 3) |
| Bromsgrove and Redditch | 312 | 95.4% (289 of 303) | 5 | 54 | 88.4% (38 of 43) |
| Coventry | 708 | 92.3% (624 of 676) | 19 | 55 | 72.7% (32 of 44) |
| Warwick | 377 | 90.7% (323 of 356) | 14 | 56 | 85.1% (80 of 94) |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 460 | 87.2% (395 of 453) | 19 | 56 | 79.5% (97 of 122) |
| Birmingham | 619 | 84.4% (505 of 598) | 40 | 44 | 76.5% (75 of 98) |
| All eight councils | 3,630 | 92.2% (3,247 of 3,520) | 106 | 53 | 79.2% (397 of 501) |
Source: Garage Conversions Solihull research (2026-10-15). Download the figures (spreadsheet, CSV).
Using this research
You are welcome to use these figures in articles, reports and answers. Please name Garage Conversions Solihull as the source and link to this page. The figures are free to reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
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