Doncaster planning approval rate
Doncaster council approved 91.9% of planning applications and refused 8.1%, based on 12,357 decisions analysed. Ranked 166th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
91.9%
overall approval rate
12,357
Decisions analysed
11,352
Approved
1,005
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.
91.2%
97.0%
85.2%
96.8%
92.8%
92.8%
97.0%
74.5%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Doncaster, mined from 12,357 proposal descriptions.
92.2%
96.9%
95.1%
87.7%
95.6%
94.4%
97.5%
90.5%
93.9%
96.4%
85.8%
95.1%
92.0%
86.0%
78.8%
90.5%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Doncaster. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Finningley
91.6%
Town
89.5%
Sprotbrough
90.7%
Tickhill And Wadworth
93.2%
Norton And Askern
90.2%
Rossington And Bawtry
92.1%
Hatfield
91.7%
Bessacarr
95.5%
Wheatley Hills And Intake
94.0%
Conisbrough
89.2%
Thorne And Moorends
87.6%
Bentley
91.3%
Edenthorpe And Kirk Sandall
95.3%
Armthorpe
94.4%
Adwick Le Street And Carcroft
93.9%
Roman Ridge
96.0%
Hexthorpe And Balby North
89.4%
Mexborough
91.1%
Stainforth And Barnby Dun
91.0%
Balby South
93.1%
Wards in Doncaster
Finningley
91.6% approval · 1,109 decisions
Town
89.5% approval · 1,044 decisions
Sprotbrough
90.7% approval · 964 decisions
Tickhill And Wadworth
93.2% approval · 921 decisions
Norton And Askern
90.2% approval · 863 decisions
Rossington And Bawtry
92.1% approval · 769 decisions
Hatfield
91.7% approval · 759 decisions
Bessacarr
95.5% approval · 727 decisions
Wheatley Hills And Intake
94.0% approval · 633 decisions
Conisbrough
89.2% approval · 545 decisions
Thorne And Moorends
87.6% approval · 485 decisions
Bentley
91.3% approval · 471 decisions
Edenthorpe And Kirk Sandall
95.3% approval · 449 decisions
Armthorpe
94.4% approval · 426 decisions
Adwick Le Street And Carcroft
93.9% approval · 358 decisions
Roman Ridge
96.0% approval · 353 decisions
Hexthorpe And Balby North
89.4% approval · 303 decisions
Mexborough
91.1% approval · 302 decisions
Stainforth And Barnby Dun
91.0% approval · 301 decisions
Balby South
93.1% approval · 276 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Doncaster, showing how the council decides real applications.
Proposed 2 storey rear extension · Hatfield · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Certificate of proposed lawful development for side single storey extension, rea · Hatfield · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Conversion of ground floor commercial property with residential flat above into · Town · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more 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 12,357 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Doncaster
What is the planning approval rate in Doncaster?
Based on 12,357 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Doncaster approved 91.9% of applications and refused 8.1%. The council is ranked 166th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Doncaster?
Doncaster refuses 8.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 12. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 12,357 decided applications since 2020, 1,005 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 (95.5%), and Edenthorpe And Kirk Sandall (95.3%). 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 (6,251 decisions, 91.2% approved), Other (2,341, 97.0%), and Discharge of Conditions (1,179, 85.2%).
How long does a planning application take in Doncaster?
Planning applications in Doncaster take an average of 11.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 12,113 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 2,060 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 12,357 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.