Derbyshire Dales planning approval rate
Derbyshire Dales council approved 92.9% of planning applications and refused 7.1%, based on 4,538 decisions analysed. Ranked 180th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
92.9%
overall approval rate
4,538
Decisions analysed
4,214
Approved
324
Refused
22
Wards covered
Planning in Derbyshire Dales? 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 Derbyshire Dales. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
91.7%
97.9%
90.3%
91.4%
82.9%
90.5%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Derbyshire Dales, mined from 4,538 proposal descriptions.
93.0%
89.0%
92.1%
93.2%
85.7%
92.4%
93.8%
85.5%
90.9%
76.2%
83.3%
88.9%
85.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Derbyshire Dales. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Wirksworth
91.3%
Matlock All Saints
94.2%
Masson
93.9%
Darley Dale
91.4%
Matlock St Giles
94.3%
Carsington Water
96.1%
Ashbourne North
92.9%
Hulland
92.5%
Norbury
93.0%
Brailsford
92.6%
Ashbourne South
93.1%
Clifton And Bradley
96.0%
Doveridge And Sudbury
91.9%
Matlock West
88.8%
Cromford And Matlock Bath
91.1%
Matlock East And Tansley
93.7%
Stanton
91.5%
Dovedale, Parwich And Brassington
88.5%
Bonsall And Winster
93.6%
Winster And South Darley
96.2%
Wards in Derbyshire Dales
Wirksworth
91.3% approval · 643 decisions
Matlock All Saints
94.2% approval · 395 decisions
Masson
93.9% approval · 362 decisions
Darley Dale
91.4% approval · 350 decisions
Matlock St Giles
94.3% approval · 349 decisions
Carsington Water
96.1% approval · 304 decisions
Ashbourne North
92.9% approval · 281 decisions
Hulland
92.5% approval · 279 decisions
Norbury
93.0% approval · 258 decisions
Brailsford
92.6% approval · 230 decisions
Ashbourne South
93.1% approval · 203 decisions
Clifton And Bradley
96.0% approval · 151 decisions
Doveridge And Sudbury
91.9% approval · 148 decisions
Matlock West
88.8% approval · 134 decisions
Cromford And Matlock Bath
91.1% approval · 124 decisions
Matlock East And Tansley
93.7% approval · 95 decisions
Stanton
91.5% approval · 71 decisions
Dovedale, Parwich And Brassington
88.5% approval · 61 decisions
Bonsall And Winster
93.6% approval · 47 decisions
Winster And South Darley
96.2% approval · 26 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Derbyshire Dales, showing how the council decides real applications.
Single storey rear and side extensions · Wirksworth · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Proposed side, rear and front extensions · Ashbourne North · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Replacement rainwater goods and installation of drainage channels adjacent to th · Wirksworth · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Derbyshire Dales, 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 Derbyshire Dales
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Derbyshire Dales →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Derbyshire Dales
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 4,538 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Derbyshire Dales
What is the planning approval rate in Derbyshire Dales?
Based on 4,538 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Derbyshire Dales approved 92.9% of applications and refused 7.1%. The council is ranked 180th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Derbyshire Dales?
Derbyshire Dales refuses 7.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 14. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 4,538 decided applications since 2020, 324 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Derbyshire Dales have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Derbyshire Dales are in Carsington Water (96.1%), Clifton And Bradley (96.0%), and Matlock St Giles (94.3%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Derbyshire Dales?
The most common planning application types in Derbyshire Dales are: Full (1,705 decisions, 91.7% approved), Trees (1,272, 97.9%), and Other (1,092, 90.3%).
How long does a planning application take in Derbyshire Dales?
Planning applications in Derbyshire Dales take an average of 13.0 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 665 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. Derbyshire Dales decides approximately 756 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Derbyshire Dales?
You can search planning applications in Derbyshire Dales directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 4,538 historical decisions in Derbyshire Dales to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Derbyshire Dales calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Derbyshire Dales' 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.