Cornwall Council approves 93.0% of planning applications, based on 24,970 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Cornwall sits 4.4 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 6,562 decided applications, Cornwall Council approved 93.2% of planning applications in 2025. Across 24,970 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Cornwall is 93.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Cornwall council planning portal records · Updated August 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Cornwall.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 13,068 | 982 | 14,050 | 93.0% |
| Other | 3,869 | 408 | 4,277 | 90.5% |
| Listed Building | 1,798 | 41 | 1,839 | 97.8% |
| Trees | 1,670 | 109 | 1,779 | 93.9% |
| Prior Approval | 1,380 | 9 | 1,389 | 99.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1,104 | 187 | 1,291 | 85.5% |
| Advertisement | 262 | 8 | 270 | 97.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 75 | 0 | 75 | 100.0% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Padstow | 633 | 22 | 655 | 96.6% |
| Poundstock | 522 | 25 | 547 | 95.4% |
| Wadebridge East And St Minver | 492 | 24 | 516 | 95.3% |
| St Goran, Tregony And The Roseland | 486 | 18 | 504 | 96.4% |
| St Agnes | 457 | 31 | 488 | 93.6% |
| Mylor, Perranarworthal And Ponsanooth | 422 | 36 | 458 | 92.1% |
| Feock And Kea | 400 | 39 | 439 | 91.1% |
| Crowan, Sithney And Wendron | 372 | 65 | 437 | 85.1% |
| St Ives East, Lelant And Carbis Bay | 382 | 29 | 411 | 92.9% |
| Altarnun And Stoke Climsland | 390 | 16 | 406 | 96.1% |
| Truro Moresk And Trehaverne | 387 | 18 | 405 | 95.6% |
| Porthleven, Breage And Germoe | 360 | 37 | 397 | 90.7% |
| Land's End | 326 | 47 | 373 | 87.4% |
| Perranporth | 340 | 31 | 371 | 91.6% |
| St Newlyn East, Cubert And Goonhavern | 336 | 30 | 366 | 91.8% |
| Long Rock, Marazion And St Erth | 321 | 37 | 358 | 89.7% |
| Penzance Promenade | 348 | 8 | 356 | 97.8% |
| Mullion And St Keverne | 313 | 38 | 351 | 89.2% |
| Camelford And Boscastle | 329 | 20 | 349 | 94.3% |
| St Columb Major, St Mawgan And St Wenn | 316 | 31 | 347 | 91.1% |
| Stratton, Kilkhampton And Morwenstow | 325 | 19 | 344 | 94.5% |
| Launceston North And North Petherwin | 326 | 15 | 341 | 95.6% |
| St Teath And Tintagel | 330 | 7 | 337 | 97.9% |
| Falmouth Arwenack | 306 | 18 | 324 | 94.4% |
| Looe East And Deviock | 307 | 16 | 323 | 95.0% |
Showing top 25 of 185 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Cornwall’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 6.9pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Cornwall council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| PA26/04705 Camelford And Boscastle | Application for Permission in Principle for the construction of up to 3 dwelling | Refused |
| PA26/03800 Porthleven, Breage And Germoe | Conversion of loft, installation of dormer, ground floor extension and associate | Approved |
| PA26/03727 Falmouth Arwenack | Internal alterations and two storey extension to hotel, in particular the swimmi | Approved |
| PA26/03826 Hayle West | Listed building consent for a replacement building to serve as control kiosk and | Approved |
| PA26/03546 Hayle West | Replacement building to serve as control kiosk and winch building to operate the | Approved |
| PA26/03505 Porthleven, Breage And Germoe | Demolition of Garage to Form Ancillary Accommodation & Associated Works | Approved |
| PA26/03206 Porthleven, Breage And Germoe | Construction of Two Self-Build Dwellings and Associated Works | Approved |
| PA26/03194 Camborne West And Treswithian | Change of use of part of a residential dwelling to an elderly day centre | Approved |
| PA26/02936 Torpoint | The proposed erection of 4 new detached single storey dwellings | Approved |
| PA26/02781 Falmouth Trescobeas And Budock | Proposed extension and alterations | Refused |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Cornwall's 24,970 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Cornwall's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Cornwall's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Cornwall. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 24,970 real decisions from Cornwall council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Cornwall's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 24,970 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Cornwall is 93.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 24,970 planning decisions from Cornwall council. 23,226 were approved and 1,744 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Cornwall is 93.0%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Cornwall? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.