Cornwall Council approves 92.4% of planning applications, based on 18,408 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Cornwall sits 7.4 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 18,408 decisions on record (January 2020 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Cornwall is 92.4%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Cornwall council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 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 | 13,292 | 990 | 14,282 | 93.1% |
| Other | 3,948 | 418 | 4,366 | 90.4% |
| Listed Building | 1,836 | 41 | 1,877 | 97.8% |
| Trees | 1,686 | 110 | 1,796 | 93.9% |
| Prior Approval | 1,413 | 10 | 1,423 | 99.3% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1,127 | 194 | 1,321 | 85.3% |
| Advertisement | 269 | 10 | 279 | 96.4% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 76 | 0 | 76 | 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 | 638 | 23 | 661 | 96.5% |
| Poundstock | 533 | 25 | 558 | 95.5% |
| Wadebridge East And St Minver | 502 | 24 | 526 | 95.4% |
| St Goran, Tregony And The Roseland | 494 | 18 | 512 | 96.5% |
| St Agnes | 461 | 32 | 493 | 93.5% |
| Mylor, Perranarworthal And Ponsanooth | 435 | 38 | 473 | 92.0% |
| Crowan, Sithney And Wendron | 380 | 65 | 445 | 85.4% |
| Feock And Kea | 402 | 39 | 441 | 91.2% |
| St Ives East, Lelant And Carbis Bay | 388 | 29 | 417 | 93.0% |
| Altarnun And Stoke Climsland | 399 | 16 | 415 | 96.1% |
| Truro Moresk And Trehaverne | 392 | 20 | 412 | 95.1% |
| Porthleven, Breage And Germoe | 364 | 39 | 403 | 90.3% |
| Land's End | 334 | 47 | 381 | 87.7% |
| St Newlyn East, Cubert And Goonhavern | 349 | 31 | 380 | 91.8% |
| Perranporth | 344 | 31 | 375 | 91.7% |
| Penzance Promenade | 356 | 9 | 365 | 97.5% |
| Long Rock, Marazion And St Erth | 326 | 37 | 363 | 89.8% |
| Mullion And St Keverne | 319 | 39 | 358 | 89.1% |
| St Columb Major, St Mawgan And St Wenn | 325 | 32 | 357 | 91.0% |
| Camelford And Boscastle | 336 | 20 | 356 | 94.4% |
| Stratton, Kilkhampton And Morwenstow | 334 | 19 | 353 | 94.6% |
| Launceston North And North Petherwin | 331 | 15 | 346 | 95.7% |
| St Teath And Tintagel | 334 | 7 | 341 | 97.9% |
| Looe East And Deviock | 314 | 16 | 330 | 95.2% |
| Falmouth Arwenack | 308 | 18 | 326 | 94.5% |
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 6.8pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PA26/05507 Feock And Kea | Proposed side extension, covered entrance area and replacement garage with sail | Approved |
| PA26/05195 Lanner, Stithians And Gwennap | Single storey lounge extension | Approved |
| PA26/05185 Newquay Trenance | Change of use of an integral domestic garage and rear garden as a small early ye | Refused |
| PA26/05189 Launceston North And North Petherwin | Use of semi-detached farmhouse from residential to full time holiday let. | Approved |
| PA26/05148 Lanner, Stithians And Gwennap | To install roofed area for cattle handling and manure storage. | Approved |
| PA26/04995 Porthleven, Breage And Germoe | Single storey rear extension | Approved |
| PA26/04805 Bodmin St Petroc | Proposed extension to youth facility | Approved |
| PA26/04790 St Newlyn East, Cubert And Goonhavern | Extension to existing forestry barn to provide secure storage for machinery, equ | Approved |
| PA26/04500 Camborne West And Treswithian | Installation of a single-storey modular hospitality suite constructed from repur | Approved |
| PA26/04463 Camborne Trelowarren | Conversion of the site into a Banking Hub, installation of an external ATM, remo | 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 18,408 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 18,408 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 18,408 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Cornwall is 92.4%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 18,408 planning decisions from Cornwall council. 17,007 were approved and 1,401 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Cornwall is 92.4%, 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.