Doncaster Council approves 91.8% of planning applications, based on 12,085 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Doncaster sits 3.5 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 12,085 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Doncaster is 91.8%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Doncaster council planning portal records · Updated June 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 | 5,572 | 547 | 6,119 | 91.1% |
| Other | 2,253 | 71 | 2,324 | 96.9% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 975 | 170 | 1,145 | 85.2% |
| Change of Use | 702 | 23 | 725 | 96.8% |
| Trees | 458 | 37 | 495 | 92.5% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 419 | 70 | 489 | 85.7% |
| Advertisement | 340 | 27 | 367 | 92.6% |
| Listed Building | 255 | 8 | 263 | 97.0% |
| Prior Approval | 117 | 41 | 158 | 74.1% |
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 | 995 | 93 | 1,088 | 91.5% |
| Town | 913 | 109 | 1,022 | 89.3% |
| Sprotbrough | 856 | 89 | 945 | 90.6% |
| Tickhill And Wadworth | 838 | 62 | 900 | 93.1% |
| Norton And Askern | 756 | 85 | 841 | 89.9% |
| Rossington And Bawtry | 696 | 60 | 756 | 92.1% |
| Hatfield | 674 | 61 | 735 | 91.7% |
| Bessacarr | 678 | 33 | 711 | 95.4% |
| Wheatley Hills And Intake | 587 | 38 | 625 | 93.9% |
| Conisbrough | 471 | 58 | 529 | 89.0% |
| Thorne And Moorends | 412 | 60 | 472 | 87.3% |
| Bentley | 420 | 40 | 460 | 91.3% |
| Edenthorpe And Kirk Sandall | 419 | 21 | 440 | 95.2% |
| Armthorpe | 394 | 24 | 418 | 94.3% |
| Adwick Le Street And Carcroft | 332 | 22 | 354 | 93.8% |
| Roman Ridge | 334 | 14 | 348 | 96.0% |
| Hexthorpe And Balby North | 268 | 31 | 299 | 89.6% |
| Mexborough | 270 | 27 | 297 | 90.9% |
| Stainforth And Barnby Dun | 260 | 26 | 286 | 90.9% |
| Balby South | 252 | 19 | 271 | 93.0% |
| Edlington And Warmsworth | 223 | 21 | 244 | 91.4% |
| (Historic) Stainforth And Moorends | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100.0% |
| (Historic) Central | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100.0% |
How Doncaster’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 1.8pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00804/FUL Mexborough | Conversion of garage to habitable space and internal works as well as alteration | Approved |
| 26/00791/FUL Tickhill And Wadworth | Erection of a detached dwelling, conversion of former stable block to residentia | Approved |
| 26/00761/FUL Tickhill And Wadworth | Erection of single storey side extension with living space in loft and 1 dormer, | Approved |
| 26/00204/FUL Armthorpe | Replacement of four current 24 metre high lighting towers with six new 15 metre | Approved |
| 22/01692/OUTM Norton And Askern | Outline application for residential development (up to 160 dwellings) and associ | Approved |
| 26/00914/PDE Rossington And Bawtry | Erection of a single storey rear extension extending to 4m with a height of 3m a | Approved |
| 26/00721/COU Rossington And Bawtry | Change of use from farm shop to motorhome servicing centre. | Approved |
| 26/00658/FUL Tickhill And Wadworth | Erection of a pitched roof garden room/studio. | Approved |
| 26/00622/CPE Hexthorpe And Balby North | Certificate of existing lawful use for a house in multiple occupation (Use Class | Refused |
| 26/00350/FUL Adwick Le Street And Carcroft | Change of use to form 2 self contained flats on upper floors, external staircase | 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 12,085 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 12,085 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 12,085 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Doncaster is 91.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 12,085 planning decisions from Doncaster council. 11,091 were approved and 994 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Doncaster is 91.8%, 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.