Dover planning approval rate
Dover council approved 93.2% of planning applications and refused 6.8%, based on 6,755 decisions analysed. Ranked 186th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
93.2%
overall approval rate
6,755
Decisions analysed
6,294
Approved
461
Refused
28
Wards covered
Planning in Dover? 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 Dover. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
90.1%
99.6%
94.5%
89.0%
92.5%
93.2%
66.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Dover, mined from 6,755 proposal descriptions.
89.8%
92.7%
92.8%
88.6%
93.3%
91.8%
95.7%
88.8%
91.0%
90.6%
95.6%
94.2%
96.8%
72.3%
87.5%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Dover. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Little Stour And Ashstone
90.0%
Guston Kingsdown St Margarets-at-Cliffe
93.9%
Sandwich
96.0%
Eastry Rural
91.1%
Aylesham, Eythorne And Shepherdswell
92.7%
North Deal
93.6%
Town And Castle
92.5%
Dover Downs And River
94.6%
Walmer
93.8%
Whitfield
96.2%
Mill Hill
92.9%
Alkham And Capel-le-Ferne
92.4%
Middle Deal
95.6%
St Radigunds
90.9%
AYLESHAM
96.9%
Tower Hamlets
86.2%
Maxton And Elms Vale
91.1%
Buckland
92.3%
ST MARGARETS AT CLIFFE
100.0%
EYTHORNE AND SHEPHERDSWELL
88.0%
Wards in Dover
Little Stour And Ashstone
90.0% approval · 838 decisions
Guston Kingsdown St Margarets-at-Cliffe
93.9% approval · 738 decisions
Sandwich
96.0% approval · 700 decisions
Eastry Rural
91.1% approval · 597 decisions
Aylesham, Eythorne And Shepherdswell
92.7% approval · 532 decisions
North Deal
93.6% approval · 528 decisions
Town And Castle
92.5% approval · 388 decisions
Dover Downs And River
94.6% approval · 368 decisions
Walmer
93.8% approval · 368 decisions
Whitfield
96.2% approval · 346 decisions
Mill Hill
92.9% approval · 280 decisions
Alkham And Capel-le-Ferne
92.4% approval · 236 decisions
Middle Deal
95.6% approval · 183 decisions
St Radigunds
90.9% approval · 165 decisions
AYLESHAM
96.9% approval · 65 decisions
Tower Hamlets
86.2% approval · 58 decisions
Maxton And Elms Vale
91.1% approval · 56 decisions
Buckland
92.3% approval · 52 decisions
ST MARGARETS AT CLIFFE
100.0% approval · 32 decisions
EYTHORNE AND SHEPHERDSWELL
88.0% approval · 25 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Dover, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of a single storey rear extension (conservatory demolished) · Aylesham, Eythorne And Shepherdswell · Tue 23 Dec 2025
Erection of a detached garden room · Walmer · Fri 19 Dec 2025
Erection of a single storey front/side extension for ancillary use as an annexe · Sandwich · Fri 19 Dec 2025
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Dover, 1 in 15 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 Dover
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Dover →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Dover
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 6,755 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Dover
What is the planning approval rate in Dover?
Based on 6,755 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Dover approved 93.2% of applications and refused 6.8%. The council is ranked 186th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Dover?
Dover refuses 6.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 15. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 6,755 decided applications since 2020, 461 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Dover have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Dover are in AYLESHAM (96.9%), Whitfield (96.2%), and Sandwich (96.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Dover?
The most common planning application types in Dover are: Full (2,534 decisions, 90.1% approved), Discharge of Conditions (2,033, 99.6%), and Trees (799, 94.5%).
How long does a planning application take in Dover?
Planning applications in Dover take an average of 12.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 6,656 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. Dover decides approximately 1,126 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Dover?
You can search planning applications in Dover directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 6,755 historical decisions in Dover to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Dover calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Dover'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.