Isle of Wight Council approves 86.0% of planning applications, based on 8,745 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Isle of Wight sits 1.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,496 decided applications, Isle of Wight Council approved 90.8% of planning applications in 2025. Across 8,745 decisions on record (January 2018 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Isle of Wight is 86.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Isle of Wight council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Isle of Wight.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 6,842 | 1,038 | 7,880 | 86.8% |
| Trees | 4,036 | 231 | 4,267 | 94.6% |
| Other | 869 | 254 | 1,123 | 77.4% |
| Listed Building | 568 | 61 | 629 | 90.3% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 406 | 39 | 445 | 91.2% |
| Prior Approval | 242 | 91 | 333 | 72.7% |
| Advertisement | 189 | 14 | 203 | 93.1% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nettlestone And Seaview | 670 | 101 | 771 | 86.9% |
| Cowes West And Gurnard | 680 | 86 | 766 | 88.8% |
| Ryde North West | 597 | 42 | 639 | 93.4% |
| Shanklin South | 476 | 65 | 541 | 88.0% |
| Bembridge | 451 | 49 | 500 | 90.2% |
| Brighstone Calbourne And Shalfleet | 412 | 47 | 459 | 89.8% |
| Ventnor And St Lawrence | 406 | 49 | 455 | 89.2% |
| Brading, St. Helens And Bembridge | 407 | 45 | 452 | 90.0% |
| Cowes North | 381 | 51 | 432 | 88.2% |
| Newchurch Havenstreet And Ashey | 369 | 59 | 428 | 86.2% |
| Binstead And Fishbourne | 371 | 48 | 419 | 88.5% |
| Freshwater North And Yarmouth | 358 | 53 | 411 | 87.1% |
| Freshwater South | 333 | 57 | 390 | 85.4% |
| Central Rural | 320 | 58 | 378 | 84.7% |
| Newport Central | 335 | 32 | 367 | 91.3% |
| Wootton Bridge | 313 | 54 | 367 | 85.3% |
| Chale Niton And Shorwell | 275 | 43 | 318 | 86.5% |
| Cowes South And Northwood | 270 | 31 | 301 | 89.7% |
| Wroxall Lowtherville And Bonchurch | 271 | 28 | 299 | 90.6% |
| Arreton And Newchurch | 232 | 37 | 269 | 86.2% |
| Sandown North | 236 | 32 | 268 | 88.1% |
| Central Wight | 215 | 37 | 252 | 85.3% |
| Totland And Colwell | 221 | 26 | 247 | 89.5% |
| East Cowes | 220 | 21 | 241 | 91.3% |
| Carisbrooke And Gunville | 213 | 23 | 236 | 90.3% |
Showing top 25 of 59 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Isle of Wight’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 1.1pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Isle of Wight council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01103/CLPUD Cowes North | Lawful Development Certificate for proposed outbuilding | Approved |
| 26/01071/CLPUD Brighstone Calbourne And Shalfleet | Lawful Development Certificate for proposed installation of roof mounted solar p | Approved |
| 26/01053/HOU Bembridge | Demolition of conservatory; Proposed two storey and single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/01085/HOU Cowes South And Northwood | Demolition of conservatory; Proposed single storey rear extension; new porch to | Approved |
| 26/01007/HOU Nettlestone And Seaview | Proposed first floor rear extension & balcony with external staircase; installat | Approved |
| 26/00963/HOU Central Rural | Proposed single storey rear extension and extension at first floor level on side | Approved |
| 26/00783/FUL Brighstone Calbourne And Shalfleet | Proposed alterations, extension and conversion of barn to form a single dwelling | Approved |
| 26/01048/HOU Bembridge | Retention of ground and first floor cladding on south east side elevation | Refused |
| 26/01027/HOU Shanklin Central | Proposed first floor side and rear extensions; decking with balustrading to fron | Approved |
| 26/00992/TW Ventnor And St Lawrence | Sycamore tree - Remove.Reason: Remove from the top of a wall, as it is causing d | 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 Isle of Wight's 8,745 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Isle of Wight's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Isle of Wight'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 Isle of Wight. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 8,745 real decisions from Isle of Wight 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 Isle of Wight'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 8,745 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Isle of Wight is 86.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 8,745 planning decisions from Isle of Wight council. 7,522 were approved and 1,223 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2018 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Isle of Wight is 86.0%, 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 Isle of Wight? 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.