Doncaster planning approval rate
Doncaster council approved 91.8% of planning applications and refused 8.2%, based on 12,085 decisions analysed. Ranked 155th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
91.8%
overall approval rate
12,085
Decisions analysed
11,091
Approved
994
Refused
23
Wards covered
Planning in Doncaster? 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 Doncaster. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
91.1%
96.9%
85.2%
96.8%
92.5%
92.6%
97.0%
74.1%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Doncaster, mined from 12,085 proposal descriptions.
92.1%
96.9%
95.1%
87.5%
95.5%
94.4%
97.7%
90.3%
93.8%
96.3%
85.4%
94.9%
91.6%
85.4%
78.8%
89.5%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Doncaster. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Finningley
91.5%
Town
89.3%
Sprotbrough
90.6%
Tickhill And Wadworth
93.1%
Norton And Askern
89.9%
Rossington And Bawtry
92.1%
Hatfield
91.7%
Bessacarr
95.4%
Wheatley Hills And Intake
93.9%
Conisbrough
89.0%
Thorne And Moorends
87.3%
Bentley
91.3%
Edenthorpe And Kirk Sandall
95.2%
Armthorpe
94.3%
Adwick Le Street And Carcroft
93.8%
Roman Ridge
96.0%
Hexthorpe And Balby North
89.6%
Mexborough
90.9%
Stainforth And Barnby Dun
90.9%
Balby South
93.0%
Wards in Doncaster
Finningley
91.5% approval · 1,088 decisions
Town
89.3% approval · 1,022 decisions
Sprotbrough
90.6% approval · 945 decisions
Tickhill And Wadworth
93.1% approval · 900 decisions
Norton And Askern
89.9% approval · 841 decisions
Rossington And Bawtry
92.1% approval · 756 decisions
Hatfield
91.7% approval · 735 decisions
Bessacarr
95.4% approval · 711 decisions
Wheatley Hills And Intake
93.9% approval · 625 decisions
Conisbrough
89.0% approval · 529 decisions
Thorne And Moorends
87.3% approval · 472 decisions
Bentley
91.3% approval · 460 decisions
Edenthorpe And Kirk Sandall
95.2% approval · 440 decisions
Armthorpe
94.3% approval · 418 decisions
Adwick Le Street And Carcroft
93.8% approval · 354 decisions
Roman Ridge
96.0% approval · 348 decisions
Hexthorpe And Balby North
89.6% approval · 299 decisions
Mexborough
90.9% approval · 297 decisions
Stainforth And Barnby Dun
90.9% approval · 286 decisions
Balby South
93.0% approval · 271 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Doncaster, showing how the council decides real applications.
Conversion of garage to habitable space and internal works as well as alteration · Mexborough · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Erection of a detached dwelling, conversion of former stable block to residentia · Tickhill And Wadworth · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Erection of single storey side extension with living space in loft and 1 dormer, · Tickhill And Wadworth · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Doncaster, 1 in 12 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 Doncaster
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Doncaster →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Doncaster
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 12,085 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Doncaster
What is the planning approval rate in Doncaster?
Based on 12,085 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Doncaster approved 91.8% of applications and refused 8.2%. The council is ranked 155th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Doncaster?
Doncaster refuses 8.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 12. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 12,085 decided applications since 2020, 994 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Doncaster have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Doncaster are in Roman Ridge (96.0%), Bessacarr (95.4%), and Edenthorpe And Kirk Sandall (95.2%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Doncaster?
The most common planning application types in Doncaster are: Full (6,119 decisions, 91.1% approved), Other (2,324, 96.9%), and Discharge of Conditions (1,145, 85.2%).
How long does a planning application take in Doncaster?
Planning applications in Doncaster take an average of 11.6 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 11,842 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. Doncaster decides approximately 2,014 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Doncaster?
You can search planning applications in Doncaster directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 12,085 historical decisions in Doncaster to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Doncaster calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Doncaster's 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.