Cornwall Council approves 93.0% of planning applications, based on 23,536 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Cornwall sits 4.7 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 6,252 decided applications, Cornwall Council approved 93.2% of planning applications in 2025. Across 23,536 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Cornwall is 93.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Cornwall council planning portal records · Updated June 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 | 12,350 | 929 | 13,279 | 93.0% |
| Other | 3,654 | 391 | 4,045 | 90.3% |
| Listed Building | 1,679 | 33 | 1,712 | 98.1% |
| Trees | 1,568 | 103 | 1,671 | 93.8% |
| Prior Approval | 1,307 | 8 | 1,315 | 99.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1,033 | 170 | 1,203 | 85.9% |
| Advertisement | 237 | 8 | 245 | 96.7% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 66 | 0 | 66 | 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 | 580 | 21 | 601 | 96.5% |
| Poundstock | 497 | 24 | 521 | 95.4% |
| St Goran, Tregony And The Roseland | 459 | 17 | 476 | 96.4% |
| Wadebridge East And St Minver | 454 | 22 | 476 | 95.4% |
| St Agnes | 428 | 28 | 456 | 93.9% |
| Mylor, Perranarworthal And Ponsanooth | 397 | 36 | 433 | 91.7% |
| Crowan, Sithney And Wendron | 356 | 62 | 418 | 85.2% |
| Feock And Kea | 376 | 38 | 414 | 90.8% |
| St Ives East, Lelant And Carbis Bay | 366 | 26 | 392 | 93.4% |
| Altarnun And Stoke Climsland | 365 | 14 | 379 | 96.3% |
| Truro Moresk And Trehaverne | 361 | 18 | 379 | 95.3% |
| Porthleven, Breage And Germoe | 332 | 33 | 365 | 91.0% |
| Perranporth | 322 | 30 | 352 | 91.5% |
| St Newlyn East, Cubert And Goonhavern | 320 | 29 | 349 | 91.7% |
| Land's End | 296 | 43 | 339 | 87.3% |
| Long Rock, Marazion And St Erth | 296 | 37 | 333 | 88.9% |
| Penzance Promenade | 318 | 8 | 326 | 97.5% |
| Camelford And Boscastle | 307 | 17 | 324 | 94.8% |
| Launceston North And North Petherwin | 306 | 15 | 321 | 95.3% |
| Mullion And St Keverne | 288 | 33 | 321 | 89.7% |
| St Columb Major, St Mawgan And St Wenn | 292 | 29 | 321 | 91.0% |
| Stratton, Kilkhampton And Morwenstow | 297 | 18 | 315 | 94.3% |
| St Teath And Tintagel | 308 | 6 | 314 | 98.1% |
| Looe East And Deviock | 287 | 16 | 303 | 94.7% |
| Falmouth Arwenack | 281 | 16 | 297 | 94.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PA26/02643 Mousehole, Newlyn And St Buryan | Replacement windows in existing living accommodation and shop under. | Approved |
| PA26/02411 Camelford And Boscastle | Replace existing derelict shippon with two storey side extension | Approved |
| PA26/02341 Mullion And St Keverne | Proposed demolition of existing outbuilding and garden retaining walls. Proposed | Approved |
| PA26/03377 Mullion And St Keverne | Two Storey, flat roof extension | Approved |
| PA26/03246 St Columb Major, St Mawgan And St Wenn | Application for Permission in Principle for the erection of one dwelling (minimu | Refused |
| PA26/02869 Truro Moresk And Trehaverne | Proposed replacement of existing balcony timber balustrade with new glass balust | Approved |
| PA26/02875 Torpoint | Single Storey Side and Rear Extension and associated landscaping works. | Approved |
| PA26/02809 Callington And St Dominic | Proposed front extension | Approved |
| PA26/02760 Camelford And Boscastle | Listed building consent for the replacement of existing debris screen above culv | Approved |
| PA26/02746 Saltash Trematon And Landrake | Single storey rear extension, with internal alterations. Boundary treatment work | Approved |
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 23,536 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 23,536 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 23,536 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Cornwall is 93.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 23,536 planning decisions from Cornwall council. 21,894 were approved and 1,642 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.