Adur & Worthing planning approval rate
Adur & Worthing council approved 89.4% of planning applications and refused 10.6%, based on 35,644 decisions analysed. Ranked 109th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
89.4%
overall approval rate
35,644
Decisions analysed
31,869
Approved
3,775
Refused
27
Wards covered
Planning in Adur & Worthing? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Adur & Worthing. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
89.3%
91.6%
97.8%
97.1%
81.2%
81.2%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Adur & Worthing, mined from 35,644 proposal descriptions.
93.1%
84.2%
86.7%
87.5%
89.5%
93.8%
87.4%
93.1%
90.4%
65.8%
88.9%
90.1%
80.1%
85.5%
82.3%
86.5%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Adur & Worthing. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Central
86.5%
Offington
89.7%
Salvington
87.0%
Heene
87.2%
Goring
91.5%
Marine Worthing
89.5%
Gaisford
89.1%
Selden
86.3%
Broadwater
87.2%
St Mary's
91.5%
Tarring
87.5%
Marine Adur
90.1%
St. Nicolas
91.5%
Widewater
89.8%
Castle
89.8%
Manor
93.2%
Buckingham
92.2%
Cokeham
91.7%
Durrington
88.0%
Southwick Green
93.6%
Wards in Adur & Worthing
Central
86.5% approval · 3,631 decisions
Offington
89.7% approval · 2,912 decisions
Salvington
87.0% approval · 2,370 decisions
Heene
87.2% approval · 2,335 decisions
Goring
91.5% approval · 2,016 decisions
Marine Worthing
89.5% approval · 1,886 decisions
Gaisford
89.1% approval · 1,520 decisions
Selden
86.3% approval · 1,508 decisions
Broadwater
87.2% approval · 1,458 decisions
St Mary's
91.5% approval · 1,387 decisions
Tarring
87.5% approval · 1,259 decisions
Marine Adur
90.1% approval · 1,256 decisions
St. Nicolas
91.5% approval · 1,006 decisions
Widewater
89.8% approval · 983 decisions
Castle
89.8% approval · 931 decisions
Manor
93.2% approval · 894 decisions
Buckingham
92.2% approval · 867 decisions
Cokeham
91.7% approval · 767 decisions
Durrington
88.0% approval · 756 decisions
Southwick Green
93.6% approval · 748 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Adur & Worthing, showing how the council decides real applications.
Temporary real ice rink at northern end of Steyne Gardens operating for up to 11 · Central · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Single storey outbuilding in the front garden for nursery use (Retrospective) · Central · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Single storey rear extension. · Cokeham · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Adur & Worthing, 1 in 9 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Adur & Worthing
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Adur & Worthing →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Adur & Worthing
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 35,644 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Adur & Worthing
What is the planning approval rate in Adur & Worthing?
Based on 35,644 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Adur & Worthing approved 89.4% of applications and refused 10.6%. The council is ranked 109th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Adur & Worthing?
Adur & Worthing refuses 10.6% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 9. That is close to the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 35,644 decided applications since 2020, 3,775 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Adur & Worthing have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Adur & Worthing are in Southlands (93.8%), Churchill (93.7%), and Southwick Green (93.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Adur & Worthing?
The most common planning application types in Adur & Worthing are: Other (35,016 decisions, 89.3% approved), Full (347, 91.6%), and Trees (90, 97.8%).
How long does a planning application take in Adur & Worthing?
Planning applications in Adur & Worthing take an average of 10.7 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 687 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Adur & Worthing decides approximately 5,941 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Adur & Worthing?
You can search planning applications in Adur & Worthing directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 35,644 historical decisions in Adur & Worthing to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Adur & Worthing calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Adur & Worthing's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.