Isle of Wight Council approves 88.3% of planning applications, based on 14,720 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Isle of Wight is closely in line with 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 14,720 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Isle of Wight is 88.3%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Isle of Wight council planning portal records · Updated August 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 Isle of Wight.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 6,787 | 1,033 | 7,820 | 86.8% |
| Trees | 3,984 | 230 | 4,214 | 94.5% |
| Other | 853 | 251 | 1,104 | 77.3% |
| Listed Building | 561 | 61 | 622 | 90.2% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 390 | 39 | 429 | 90.9% |
| Prior Approval | 241 | 90 | 331 | 72.8% |
| Advertisement | 186 | 14 | 200 | 93.0% |
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 | 661 | 100 | 761 | 86.9% |
| Cowes West And Gurnard | 671 | 86 | 757 | 88.6% |
| Ryde North West | 583 | 42 | 625 | 93.3% |
| Shanklin South | 473 | 65 | 538 | 87.9% |
| Bembridge | 437 | 46 | 483 | 90.5% |
| Brading, St. Helens And Bembridge | 407 | 45 | 452 | 90.0% |
| Brighstone Calbourne And Shalfleet | 404 | 47 | 451 | 89.6% |
| Ventnor And St Lawrence | 398 | 48 | 446 | 89.2% |
| Cowes North | 378 | 51 | 429 | 88.1% |
| Newchurch Havenstreet And Ashey | 364 | 58 | 422 | 86.3% |
| Binstead And Fishbourne | 366 | 48 | 414 | 88.4% |
| Freshwater North And Yarmouth | 349 | 52 | 401 | 87.0% |
| Freshwater South | 332 | 57 | 389 | 85.3% |
| Central Rural | 316 | 57 | 373 | 84.7% |
| Wootton Bridge | 310 | 54 | 364 | 85.2% |
| Newport Central | 331 | 32 | 363 | 91.2% |
| Chale Niton And Shorwell | 269 | 43 | 312 | 86.2% |
| Cowes South And Northwood | 267 | 30 | 297 | 89.9% |
| Wroxall Lowtherville And Bonchurch | 267 | 28 | 295 | 90.5% |
| Arreton And Newchurch | 232 | 37 | 269 | 86.2% |
| Sandown North | 235 | 32 | 267 | 88.0% |
| Central Wight | 215 | 37 | 252 | 85.3% |
| Totland And Colwell | 216 | 26 | 242 | 89.3% |
| East Cowes | 217 | 21 | 238 | 91.2% |
| Brading And St Helens | 213 | 21 | 234 | 91.0% |
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 0.8pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00873/LBC | Listed Building Consent for proposed alterations at ground floor and first floor | Approved |
| 26/00874/LBC Sandown South | Listed Building Consent for works including internal alterations to partition lo | Approved |
| 26/00202/FUL Bembridge | Proposed replacement of four windows and two doors at ground floor level | Approved |
| 26/00852/HOU Nettlestone And Seaview | Proposed detached two storey boathouse/garage with roof mounted solar panels; pr | Approved |
| 26/00760/FUL Freshwater South | Proposed change of use from self contained holiday accommodation to ancillary re | Approved |
| 26/00723/LBC Ryde North West | Listed Building Consent for alterations in connection to change of use to an ass | Approved |
| 26/00600/FUL Newport Central | Proposed alterations and change of use of former doctors surgery to a 13 bed Hou | Approved |
| 25/00301/FUL Freshwater North And Yarmouth | Proposed detached chalet bungalow | Approved |
| 26/00931/PIP Brading And St Helens | Permission in principle for demolition of semi-detached building; proposed repla | Approved |
| 26/00655/HOU Wroxall Lowtherville And Bonchurch | Proposed external cladding and render; alterations and extension onto roof | 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 14,720 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 14,720 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 14,720 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Isle of Wight is 88.3%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 14,720 planning decisions from Isle of Wight council. 13,002 were approved and 1,718 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Isle of Wight is 88.3%, 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.