Cornwall planning approval rate

Cornwall council approved 93.9% of planning applications and refused 6.1%, based on 6,212 decisions analysed. Ranked 168th out of 221 councils for strictness.

Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

93.9%

overall approval rate

6,212

Decisions analysed

5,833

Approved

379

Refused

184

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.

Full (3,849 decided)

93.8%

Other (949 decided)

91.3%

Listed Building (427 decided)

98.6%

Trees (400 decided)

95.5%

Prior Approval (291 decided)

99.7%

Certificate of Lawfulness (240 decided)

87.1%

Advertisement (56 decided)

98.2%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Cornwall — mined from 6,212 proposal descriptions.

Extension (General) (1,169 decided)

96.6%

Garage / Parking (976 decided)

93.0%

Change of Use (Residential) (374 decided)

92.0%

Outbuilding (355 decided)

96.6%

Rear Extension (323 decided)

97.8%

New Build (265 decided)

83.0%

Annex (221 decided)

97.7%

Dormer (206 decided)

98.1%

Side Extension (187 decided)

98.9%

Conservatory (169 decided)

97.0%

Loft Conversion (119 decided)

92.4%

Front Extension (28 decided)

96.4%

Basement (23 decided)

95.7%

Wraparound Extension (21 decided)

100.0%

Flat Conversion (17 decided)

88.2%

HMO (14 decided)

85.7%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Cornwall. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

St Agnes (130 decided)

95.4%

Padstow (124 decided)

95.2%

Poundstock (121 decided)

95.9%

St Minver And St Endellion (110 decided)

97.3%

Launceston North And North Petherwin (85 decided)

92.9%

Perranporth (83 decided)

91.6%

Roseland (79 decided)

91.1%

Penryn East And Mylor (74 decided)

94.6%

St Ives East (71 decided)

95.8%

Feock And Playing Place (70 decided)

88.6%

St Mawgan And Colan (68 decided)

95.6%

St Issey And St Tudy (67 decided)

94.0%

St Keverne And Meneage (67 decided)

95.5%

Chacewater, Kenwyn And Baldhu (66 decided)

87.9%

Penzance Promenade (65 decided)

98.5%

Altarnun And Stoke Climsland (63 decided)

98.4%

Bude (61 decided)

96.7%

Newlyn And Mousehole (59 decided)

91.5%

Crowan And Wendron (58 decided)

91.4%

Newlyn And Goonhavern (58 decided)

89.7%

Wards in Cornwall

St Agnes

95.4% approval · 130 decisions

Padstow

95.2% approval · 124 decisions

Poundstock

95.9% approval · 121 decisions

St Minver And St Endellion

97.3% approval · 110 decisions

Launceston North And North Petherwin

92.9% approval · 85 decisions

Perranporth

91.6% approval · 83 decisions

Roseland

91.1% approval · 79 decisions

Penryn East And Mylor

94.6% approval · 74 decisions

St Ives East

95.8% approval · 71 decisions

Feock And Playing Place

88.6% approval · 70 decisions

St Mawgan And Colan

95.6% approval · 68 decisions

St Issey And St Tudy

94.0% approval · 67 decisions

St Keverne And Meneage

95.5% approval · 67 decisions

Chacewater, Kenwyn And Baldhu

87.9% approval · 66 decisions

Penzance Promenade

98.5% approval · 65 decisions

Altarnun And Stoke Climsland

98.4% approval · 63 decisions

Bude

96.7% approval · 61 decisions

Newlyn And Mousehole

91.5% approval · 59 decisions

Crowan And Wendron

91.4% approval · 58 decisions

Newlyn And Goonhavern

89.7% approval · 58 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Cornwall, showing how the council decides real applications.

PA25/06339

Proposed extension · Callington And St Dominic · Wed 15 Oct 2025

Approved

PA25/06022

Erection of a single-storey extension to the South-West elevation of the dwellin · St Stephen-In-Brannel · Wed 15 Oct 2025

Approved

PA25/05772

A new two-storey extension (to replace an existing single storey extension), a s · Mylor, Perranarworthal And Ponsanooth · Wed 15 Oct 2025

Approved

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Cornwall, 1 in 16 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report 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

Get Cornwall Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 6,212 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

Plymouth Exeter Bristol North Somerset

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