Lewes & Eastbourne planning approval rate
Lewes & Eastbourne council approved 91.4% of planning applications and refused 8.6%, based on 2,308 decisions analysed. Ranked 155th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
91.4%
overall approval rate
2,308
Decisions analysed
2,109
Approved
199
Refused
18
Wards covered
Planning in Lewes & Eastbourne? 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 Lewes & Eastbourne. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
94.0%
85.1%
98.4%
90.5%
97.4%
82.8%
96.6%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Lewes & Eastbourne, mined from 2,308 proposal descriptions.
89.3%
95.5%
93.1%
96.0%
86.2%
79.8%
96.0%
95.6%
97.6%
91.9%
97.7%
81.4%
90.9%
71.4%
92.3%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Lewes & Eastbourne. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Chailey, Barcombe & Hamsey
91.6%
Ouse Valley & Ringmer
93.4%
Newick
89.7%
East Saltdean & Telscombe Cliffs
88.2%
Newhaven South
88.4%
Wivelsfield
87.5%
Seaford South
95.9%
Plumpton Streat E.Chiltington St John W
91.7%
Seaford Central
95.3%
Seaford East
90.9%
Peacehaven West
92.9%
Seaford North
96.4%
Newhaven North
91.0%
Peacehaven North
87.0%
Peacehaven East
88.4%
Seaford West
95.2%
Ditchling & Westmeston
88.0%
Wards in Lewes & Eastbourne
Chailey, Barcombe & Hamsey
91.6% approval · 394 decisions
Ouse Valley & Ringmer
93.4% approval · 333 decisions
Newick
89.7% approval · 195 decisions
East Saltdean & Telscombe Cliffs
88.2% approval · 161 decisions
Newhaven South
88.4% approval · 129 decisions
Wivelsfield
87.5% approval · 128 decisions
Seaford South
95.9% approval · 123 decisions
Plumpton Streat E.Chiltington St John W
91.7% approval · 109 decisions
Seaford Central
95.3% approval · 106 decisions
Seaford East
90.9% approval · 99 decisions
Peacehaven West
92.9% approval · 85 decisions
Seaford North
96.4% approval · 83 decisions
Newhaven North
91.0% approval · 78 decisions
Peacehaven North
87.0% approval · 77 decisions
Peacehaven East
88.4% approval · 69 decisions
Seaford West
95.2% approval · 62 decisions
Ditchling & Westmeston
88.0% approval · 25 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Lewes & Eastbourne, showing how the council decides real applications.
Replacement of metal windows with UPVC in basement and ground floor, addition of · Seaford Central · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Change of use from existing stables into single-storey habitable space including · Wivelsfield · Fri 07 Aug 2026
Demolition of existing storage buildings, construction of a new workshop buildin · Ouse Valley & Ringmer · Fri 31 Jul 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Lewes & Eastbourne, 1 in 12 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 Lewes & Eastbourne
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Lewes & Eastbourne →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Lewes & Eastbourne
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 2,308 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Lewes & Eastbourne
What is the planning approval rate in Lewes & Eastbourne?
Based on 2,308 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Lewes & Eastbourne approved 91.4% of applications and refused 8.6%. The council is ranked 155th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Lewes & Eastbourne?
Lewes & Eastbourne refuses 8.6% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 12. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 2,308 decided applications since 2020, 199 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Lewes & Eastbourne have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Lewes & Eastbourne are in Seaford North (96.4%), Seaford South (95.9%), and Seaford Central (95.3%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Lewes & Eastbourne?
The most common planning application types in Lewes & Eastbourne are: Full (670 decisions, 94.0% approved), Other (609, 85.1%), and Discharge of Conditions (489, 98.4%).
How long does a planning application take in Lewes & Eastbourne?
Planning applications in Lewes & Eastbourne take an average of 11.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 2,288 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. Lewes & Eastbourne decides approximately 385 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Lewes & Eastbourne?
You can search planning applications in Lewes & Eastbourne directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 2,308 historical decisions in Lewes & Eastbourne to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Lewes & Eastbourne calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Lewes & Eastbourne'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.