Doncaster Council approves 92.2% of planning applications, based on 8,750 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Doncaster sits 7.2 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 8,750 decisions on record (January 2020 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Doncaster is 92.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Doncaster council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 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 | 5,790 | 547 | 6,337 | 91.4% |
| Other | 2,279 | 71 | 2,350 | 97.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,020 | 181 | 1,201 | 84.9% |
| Change of Use | 733 | 24 | 757 | 96.8% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 464 | 76 | 540 | 85.9% |
| Trees | 490 | 37 | 527 | 93.0% |
| Advertisement | 351 | 27 | 378 | 92.9% |
| Listed Building | 264 | 8 | 272 | 97.1% |
| Prior Approval | 121 | 42 | 163 | 74.2% |
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 | 1,042 | 93 | 1,135 | 91.8% |
| Town | 948 | 112 | 1,060 | 89.4% |
| Sprotbrough | 883 | 91 | 974 | 90.7% |
| Tickhill And Wadworth | 869 | 63 | 932 | 93.2% |
| Norton And Askern | 783 | 86 | 869 | 90.1% |
| Rossington And Bawtry | 719 | 64 | 783 | 91.8% |
| Hatfield | 705 | 64 | 769 | 91.7% |
| Bessacarr | 705 | 33 | 738 | 95.5% |
| Wheatley Hills And Intake | 602 | 38 | 640 | 94.1% |
| Conisbrough | 491 | 59 | 550 | 89.3% |
| Thorne And Moorends | 430 | 60 | 490 | 87.8% |
| Bentley | 436 | 41 | 477 | 91.4% |
| Edenthorpe And Kirk Sandall | 435 | 21 | 456 | 95.4% |
| Armthorpe | 407 | 24 | 431 | 94.4% |
| Adwick Le Street And Carcroft | 339 | 22 | 361 | 93.9% |
| Roman Ridge | 346 | 14 | 360 | 96.1% |
| Mexborough | 284 | 27 | 311 | 91.3% |
| Hexthorpe And Balby North | 277 | 32 | 309 | 89.6% |
| Stainforth And Barnby Dun | 275 | 27 | 302 | 91.1% |
| Balby South | 259 | 19 | 278 | 93.2% |
| Edlington And Warmsworth | 229 | 22 | 251 | 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 1.2pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01646/FUL Bentley | Demolition of existing conservatory and erection of a single storey rear and sid | Approved |
| 26/01638/FUL Conisbrough | To change the existing rear extension roof to a flat roof with installation of s | Approved |
| 26/01709/CPL Finningley | Certificate of proposed lawful development for the erection of a side extension | Approved |
| 26/01651/PDE Sprotbrough | Erection of a single storey rear extension (extending 4.30m with a height of 3.6 | Approved |
| 26/01476/FUL Armthorpe | Erection of two storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/00913/LBC Tickhill And Wadworth | Listed building consent to replace timber windows with new timber windows and to | Approved |
| 26/00506/LBC Finningley | Listed Building Consent to remove wooden bell tower and repair roof and damaged | Approved |
| 26/01594/FUL Bentley | Erection of rear and side two storey extension and new replacement detached gara | Approved |
| 26/01405/FUL Bentley | Erection of a two storey side extension with the ground floor being used as a gr | Approved |
| 26/01391/FUL Finningley | Erection of rear extension and balcony following demolition of conservatory | 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 8,750 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 8,750 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 8,750 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Doncaster is 92.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 8,750 planning decisions from Doncaster council. 8,066 were approved and 684 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Doncaster is 92.2%, 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.