Cornwall Council approves 93.0% of planning applications, based on 25,073 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 25,073 decisions on record (January 2020 to September 2026), 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 · Data to 9 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 | 13,117 | 982 | 14,099 | 93.0% |
| Other | 3,891 | 411 | 4,302 | 90.4% |
| Listed Building | 1,806 | 41 | 1,847 | 97.8% |
| Trees | 1,675 | 110 | 1,785 | 93.8% |
| Prior Approval | 1,387 | 9 | 1,396 | 99.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1,109 | 189 | 1,298 | 85.4% |
| Advertisement | 263 | 8 | 271 | 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 | 23 | 656 | 96.5% |
| Poundstock | 524 | 25 | 549 | 95.4% |
| Wadebridge East And St Minver | 494 | 24 | 518 | 95.4% |
| St Goran, Tregony And The Roseland | 488 | 18 | 506 | 96.4% |
| St Agnes | 457 | 31 | 488 | 93.6% |
| Mylor, Perranarworthal And Ponsanooth | 424 | 37 | 461 | 92.0% |
| Feock And Kea | 401 | 39 | 440 | 91.1% |
| Crowan, Sithney And Wendron | 373 | 65 | 438 | 85.2% |
| St Ives East, Lelant And Carbis Bay | 383 | 29 | 412 | 93.0% |
| Altarnun And Stoke Climsland | 392 | 16 | 408 | 96.1% |
| Truro Moresk And Trehaverne | 388 | 18 | 406 | 95.6% |
| Porthleven, Breage And Germoe | 360 | 37 | 397 | 90.7% |
| Land's End | 329 | 47 | 376 | 87.5% |
| Perranporth | 341 | 31 | 372 | 91.7% |
| St Newlyn East, Cubert And Goonhavern | 340 | 30 | 370 | 91.9% |
| Long Rock, Marazion And St Erth | 323 | 37 | 360 | 89.7% |
| Penzance Promenade | 350 | 9 | 359 | 97.5% |
| Mullion And St Keverne | 313 | 38 | 351 | 89.2% |
| Camelford And Boscastle | 331 | 20 | 351 | 94.3% |
| St Columb Major, St Mawgan And St Wenn | 319 | 31 | 350 | 91.1% |
| Stratton, Kilkhampton And Morwenstow | 327 | 19 | 346 | 94.5% |
| Launceston North And North Petherwin | 327 | 15 | 342 | 95.6% |
| St Teath And Tintagel | 330 | 7 | 337 | 97.9% |
| Looe East And Deviock | 311 | 16 | 327 | 95.1% |
| Falmouth Arwenack | 306 | 18 | 324 | 94.4% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PA26/05331 St Stephen-In-Brannel | Application for Permission in Principle for the construction of up to 8 dwelling | Approved |
| PA26/05049 Wadebridge West And St Mabyn | Listed Building Consent for emergency repair works to strengthen bedroom floor j | Approved |
| PA26/04987 Roche And Bugle | Proposed demolition of the existing building and the erection of two self-build | Approved |
| PA26/04955 Truro Tregolls | Extension to porch providing WC including revised roof over porch, Proposed bedr | Approved |
| PA26/04752 Newquay Central And Pentire | New external staircase and landing at rear with store under, new patio doors to | Approved |
| PA26/04552 Looe East And Deviock | Conversion of 4 apartments into 2 dwellings with no external alterations | Approved |
| PA26/04315 Long Rock, Marazion And St Erth | Conservatory on front elevation | Approved |
| PA26/04182 St Austell Bethel And Holmbush | Change existing garage flat roof to a pitched roof | Approved |
| PA26/02714 Rame Peninsula And St Germans | Construction of internal alterations, external repairs and renewal of roof | Approved |
| PA26/02715 Rame Peninsula And St Germans | Listed building consent for Construction of internal alterations, external repai | 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 25,073 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 25,073 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 25,073 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 25,073 planning decisions from Cornwall council. 23,323 were approved and 1,750 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to September 2026.
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.