Exeter planning approval rate

Exeter council approved 90.5% of planning applications and refused 9.5%, based on 6,750 decisions analysed. Ranked 110th out of 221 councils for strictness.

Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

90.5%

overall approval rate

6,750

Decisions analysed

6,106

Approved

644

Refused

Wards covered

Planning in Exeter? 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 Exeter. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.

Full (3,127 decided)

88.1%

Trees (1,313 decided)

94.6%

Certificate of Lawfulness (641 decided)

93.0%

Listed Building (602 decided)

93.4%

Other (471 decided)

90.0%

Advertisement (257 decided)

92.6%

Discharge of Conditions (255 decided)

87.5%

Prior Approval (84 decided)

77.4%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Exeter — mined from 6,750 proposal descriptions.

Rear Extension (1,020 decided)

91.5%

Garage / Parking (770 decided)

86.6%

Extension (General) (471 decided)

91.1%

Dormer (409 decided)

89.0%

Side Extension (404 decided)

83.7%

Change of Use (Residential) (341 decided)

85.0%

Outbuilding (284 decided)

91.2%

Loft Conversion (254 decided)

85.8%

HMO (217 decided)

82.9%

Conservatory (167 decided)

92.2%

Basement (73 decided)

79.5%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (67 decided)

85.1%

New Build (66 decided)

71.2%

Front Extension (57 decided)

84.2%

Wraparound Extension (55 decided)

87.3%

Annex (53 decided)

73.6%

Flat Conversion (43 decided)

74.4%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Exeter. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

Topsham (939 decided)

89.8%

St Davids (921 decided)

91.4%

Newtown And St Leonards (881 decided)

93.0%

Duryard And St James (681 decided)

90.6%

Alphington (559 decided)

93.4%

Heavitree (433 decided)

93.8%

Pinhoe (392 decided)

88.8%

Pennsylvania (390 decided)

90.3%

St Loyes (366 decided)

87.4%

St Thomas (330 decided)

85.5%

Priory (315 decided)

87.3%

Mincinglake And Whipton (202 decided)

83.7%

Exwick (198 decided)

87.4%

Wards in Exeter

Topsham

89.8% approval · 939 decisions

St Davids

91.4% approval · 921 decisions

Newtown And St Leonards

93.0% approval · 881 decisions

Duryard And St James

90.6% approval · 681 decisions

Alphington

93.4% approval · 559 decisions

Heavitree

93.8% approval · 433 decisions

Pinhoe

88.8% approval · 392 decisions

Pennsylvania

90.3% approval · 390 decisions

St Loyes

87.4% approval · 366 decisions

St Thomas

85.5% approval · 330 decisions

Priory

87.3% approval · 315 decisions

Mincinglake And Whipton

83.7% approval · 202 decisions

Exwick

87.4% approval · 198 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Exeter, showing how the council decides real applications.

26/0146/ADV

3nr sign boards of 1.5m x 1.2m in size, advertising the service of residential a · Newtown And St Leonards · Wed 04 Mar 2026

Approved

26/0032/FUL

Proposed extension of existing external yard area, installation of new security · St Loyes · Wed 04 Mar 2026

Approved

26/0011/FUL

Proposed replacement windows · Topsham · Wed 04 Mar 2026

Refused

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Exeter, 1 in 11 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:

✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Exeter
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Get Exeter Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 6,750 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

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