Doncaster Council approves 91.9% of planning applications, based on 12,357 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Doncaster sits 3.3 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,113 decided applications, Doncaster Council approved 86.8% of planning applications in 2025. Across 12,357 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Doncaster is 91.9%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Doncaster council planning portal records · Updated August 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Doncaster.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 5,704 | 547 | 6,251 | 91.2% |
| Other | 2,270 | 71 | 2,341 | 97.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,004 | 175 | 1,179 | 85.2% |
| Change of Use | 718 | 24 | 742 | 96.8% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 451 | 75 | 526 | 85.7% |
| Trees | 476 | 37 | 513 | 92.8% |
| Advertisement | 348 | 27 | 375 | 92.8% |
| Listed Building | 261 | 8 | 269 | 97.0% |
| Prior Approval | 120 | 41 | 161 | 74.5% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finningley | 1,016 | 93 | 1,109 | 91.6% |
| Town | 934 | 110 | 1,044 | 89.5% |
| Sprotbrough | 874 | 90 | 964 | 90.7% |
| Tickhill And Wadworth | 858 | 63 | 921 | 93.2% |
| Norton And Askern | 778 | 85 | 863 | 90.2% |
| Rossington And Bawtry | 708 | 61 | 769 | 92.1% |
| Hatfield | 696 | 63 | 759 | 91.7% |
| Bessacarr | 694 | 33 | 727 | 95.5% |
| Wheatley Hills And Intake | 595 | 38 | 633 | 94.0% |
| Conisbrough | 486 | 59 | 545 | 89.2% |
| Thorne And Moorends | 425 | 60 | 485 | 87.6% |
| Bentley | 430 | 41 | 471 | 91.3% |
| Edenthorpe And Kirk Sandall | 428 | 21 | 449 | 95.3% |
| Armthorpe | 402 | 24 | 426 | 94.4% |
| Adwick Le Street And Carcroft | 336 | 22 | 358 | 93.9% |
| Roman Ridge | 339 | 14 | 353 | 96.0% |
| Hexthorpe And Balby North | 271 | 32 | 303 | 89.4% |
| Mexborough | 275 | 27 | 302 | 91.1% |
| Stainforth And Barnby Dun | 274 | 27 | 301 | 91.0% |
| Balby South | 257 | 19 | 276 | 93.1% |
| Edlington And Warmsworth | 228 | 22 | 250 | 91.2% |
| (Historic) Stainforth And Moorends | 10 | 0 | 10 | 100.0% |
| (Historic) Central | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100.0% |
How Doncaster’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 1.5pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Doncaster council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01264/FUL Hatfield | Proposed 2 storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/01205/CPL Hatfield | Certificate of proposed lawful development for side single storey extension, rea | Refused |
| 26/00850/COU Town | Conversion of ground floor commercial property with residential flat above into | Approved |
| 26/00838/FUL Norton And Askern | Erection of 2 self-build dwellings and formation of new vehicular access. | Approved |
| 26/01486/CPL Bentley | Certificate of proposed lawful development for a single storey extension to the | Approved |
| 26/00797/FUL Town | Extension to the existing external decking to provide additional external seatin | Approved |
| 26/01500/MAT Mexborough | Erection of 26 dwellings with associated landscaping and parking, and the conver | Approved |
| 26/01210/FUL Bessacarr | Erection of a single storey rear extension following demolition of existing cons | Approved |
| 26/00920/CPL Rossington And Bawtry | Certificate of proposed lawful use for change of use from C3 dwelling house to C | Approved |
| 26/01320/TPO Conisbrough | Application to prune an Ash and a Sycamore back up to the boundary line (both tr | 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 Doncaster's 12,357 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Doncaster's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Doncaster'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 Doncaster. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 12,357 real decisions from Doncaster 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 Doncaster'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 12,357 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Doncaster is 91.9%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 12,357 planning decisions from Doncaster council. 11,352 were approved and 1,005 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Doncaster is 91.9%, 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 Doncaster? 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.