Cornwall planning approval rate
Cornwall council approved 93.0% of planning applications and refused 7.0%, based on 24,970 decisions analysed. Ranked 191st out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to July 2026
93.0%
overall approval rate
24,970
Decisions analysed
23,226
Approved
1,744
Refused
185
Wards covered
Planning in Cornwall? 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 Cornwall. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
93.0%
90.5%
97.8%
93.9%
99.4%
97.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Cornwall, mined from 24,970 proposal descriptions.
95.9%
93.9%
94.5%
97.1%
82.9%
95.3%
96.3%
98.0%
97.5%
93.0%
93.7%
97.5%
98.6%
93.5%
93.5%
81.2%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Cornwall. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Padstow
96.6%
Poundstock
95.4%
Wadebridge East And St Minver
95.3%
St Goran, Tregony And The Roseland
96.4%
St Agnes
93.6%
Mylor, Perranarworthal And Ponsanooth
92.1%
Feock And Kea
91.1%
Crowan, Sithney And Wendron
85.1%
St Ives East, Lelant And Carbis Bay
92.9%
Altarnun And Stoke Climsland
96.1%
Truro Moresk And Trehaverne
95.6%
Porthleven, Breage And Germoe
90.7%
Land's End
87.4%
Perranporth
91.6%
St Newlyn East, Cubert And Goonhavern
91.8%
Long Rock, Marazion And St Erth
89.7%
Penzance Promenade
97.8%
Mullion And St Keverne
89.2%
Camelford And Boscastle
94.3%
St Columb Major, St Mawgan And St Wenn
91.1%
Wards in Cornwall
Padstow
96.6% approval · 655 decisions
Poundstock
95.4% approval · 547 decisions
Wadebridge East And St Minver
95.3% approval · 516 decisions
St Goran, Tregony And The Roseland
96.4% approval · 504 decisions
St Agnes
93.6% approval · 488 decisions
Mylor, Perranarworthal And Ponsanooth
92.1% approval · 458 decisions
Feock And Kea
91.1% approval · 439 decisions
Crowan, Sithney And Wendron
85.1% approval · 437 decisions
St Ives East, Lelant And Carbis Bay
92.9% approval · 411 decisions
Altarnun And Stoke Climsland
96.1% approval · 406 decisions
Truro Moresk And Trehaverne
95.6% approval · 405 decisions
Porthleven, Breage And Germoe
90.7% approval · 397 decisions
Land's End
87.4% approval · 373 decisions
Perranporth
91.6% approval · 371 decisions
St Newlyn East, Cubert And Goonhavern
91.8% approval · 366 decisions
Long Rock, Marazion And St Erth
89.7% approval · 358 decisions
Penzance Promenade
97.8% approval · 356 decisions
Mullion And St Keverne
89.2% approval · 351 decisions
Camelford And Boscastle
94.3% approval · 349 decisions
St Columb Major, St Mawgan And St Wenn
91.1% approval · 347 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Cornwall, showing how the council decides real applications.
Application for Permission in Principle for the construction of up to 3 dwelling · Camelford And Boscastle · Tue 28 Jul 2026
Conversion of loft, installation of dormer, ground floor extension and associate · Porthleven, Breage And Germoe · Tue 28 Jul 2026
Internal alterations and two storey extension to hotel, in particular the swimmi · Falmouth Arwenack · Tue 28 Jul 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Cornwall, 1 in 14 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 Cornwall
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Cornwall →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Cornwall
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 24,970 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Cornwall
What is the planning approval rate in Cornwall?
Based on 24,970 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Cornwall approved 93.0% of applications and refused 7.0%. The council is ranked 191st out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Cornwall?
Cornwall refuses 7.0% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 14. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 24,970 decided applications since 2020, 1,744 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Cornwall have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Cornwall are in Penryn (98.8%), Grenville And Stratton (98.2%), and St Teath And Tintagel (97.9%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Cornwall?
The most common planning application types in Cornwall are: Full (14,050 decisions, 93.0% approved), Other (4,277, 90.5%), and Listed Building (1,839, 97.8%).
How long does a planning application take in Cornwall?
Planning applications in Cornwall take an average of 10.3 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 24,837 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. Cornwall decides approximately 4,162 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Cornwall?
You can search planning applications in Cornwall directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 24,970 historical decisions in Cornwall to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Cornwall calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Cornwall'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.