Lewes & Eastbourne Council approves 91.4% of planning applications, based on 2,295 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Lewes & Eastbourne sits 2.8 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 815 decided applications, Lewes & Eastbourne Council approved 93.0% of planning applications in 2025. Across 2,295 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Lewes & Eastbourne is 91.4%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Lewes & Eastbourne 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 Lewes & Eastbourne.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 630 | 40 | 670 | 94.0% |
| Other | 510 | 90 | 600 | 85.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 479 | 8 | 487 | 98.4% |
| Trees | 247 | 26 | 273 | 90.5% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 105 | 26 | 131 | 80.2% |
| Listed Building | 74 | 2 | 76 | 97.4% |
| Prior Approval | 24 | 5 | 29 | 82.8% |
| Advertisement | 28 | 1 | 29 | 96.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chailey, Barcombe & Hamsey | 359 | 32 | 391 | 91.8% |
| Ouse Valley & Ringmer | 310 | 22 | 332 | 93.4% |
| Newick | 174 | 20 | 194 | 89.7% |
| East Saltdean & Telscombe Cliffs | 142 | 19 | 161 | 88.2% |
| Newhaven South | 114 | 15 | 129 | 88.4% |
| Wivelsfield | 110 | 16 | 126 | 87.3% |
| Seaford South | 118 | 5 | 123 | 95.9% |
| Plumpton Streat E.Chiltington St John W | 99 | 9 | 108 | 91.7% |
| Seaford Central | 100 | 5 | 105 | 95.2% |
| Seaford East | 89 | 9 | 98 | 90.8% |
| Peacehaven West | 79 | 6 | 85 | 92.9% |
| Seaford North | 80 | 3 | 83 | 96.4% |
| Newhaven North | 71 | 7 | 78 | 91.0% |
| Peacehaven North | 67 | 10 | 77 | 87.0% |
| Peacehaven East | 60 | 8 | 68 | 88.2% |
| Seaford West | 58 | 3 | 61 | 95.1% |
| Ditchling & Westmeston | 21 | 3 | 24 | 87.5% |
| Kingston | 14 | 1 | 15 | 93.3% |
How Lewes & Eastbourne’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 0.3pp since 2023.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Lewes & Eastbourne council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| LW/25/0375 Ouse Valley & Ringmer | Demolition of existing storage buildings, construction of a new workshop buildin | Approved |
| LW/26/0333 Newick | Demolition of existing outbuilding, erection of single storey side extension, re | Approved |
| LW/26/0316 Seaford West | Single storey rear extension | Approved |
| LW/26/0311 East Saltdean & Telscombe Cliffs | Demolition of existing conservatory and lean-to extensions, erection of single s | Approved |
| TW/26/0042/TCA Wivelsfield | T1 - Bay - Removal - Garden area size restriction | Approved |
| LW/26/0299 Seaford West | First floor extension including raising of the roof pitch, 2No. front dormers, 1 | Approved |
| LW/26/0292 Seaford West | Garage conversion and single storey side extension | Approved |
| LW/26/0273 Peacehaven East | Single storey side extension | Approved |
| LW/26/0125 Chailey, Barcombe & Hamsey | Replacement of existing detached flat roof garage with pitched roof structure as | Approved |
| LW/26/0284 Chailey, Barcombe & Hamsey | Demolition of existing conservatory and replacement with single storey rear exte | 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 Lewes & Eastbourne's 2,295 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Lewes & Eastbourne's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Lewes & Eastbourne'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 Lewes & Eastbourne. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 2,295 real decisions from Lewes & Eastbourne 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 Lewes & Eastbourne'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 2,295 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Lewes & Eastbourne is 91.4%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,295 planning decisions from Lewes & Eastbourne council. 2,097 were approved and 198 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Lewes & Eastbourne is 91.4%, 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 Lewes & Eastbourne? 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.