Plymouth planning approval rate

Plymouth council approved 93.0% of planning applications and refused 7.0%, based on 6,550 decisions analysed. Ranked 147th out of 221 councils for strictness.

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

93.0%

overall approval rate

6,550

Decisions analysed

6,093

Approved

457

Refused

Wards covered

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

Full (3,646 decided)

92.2%

Trees (1,167 decided)

96.0%

Other (825 decided)

90.1%

Listed Building (403 decided)

95.8%

Advertisement (270 decided)

94.8%

Discharge of Conditions (239 decided)

94.1%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Plymouth — mined from 6,550 proposal descriptions.

Rear Extension (1,196 decided)

97.3%

Garage / Parking (776 decided)

89.4%

Side Extension (597 decided)

96.6%

Change of Use (Residential) (429 decided)

86.5%

Dormer (361 decided)

95.6%

Extension (General) (273 decided)

94.1%

HMO (272 decided)

92.6%

Outbuilding (187 decided)

93.0%

Loft Conversion (172 decided)

97.7%

Conservatory (160 decided)

93.1%

Front Extension (150 decided)

93.3%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (115 decided)

96.5%

New Build (104 decided)

78.8%

Wraparound Extension (85 decided)

98.8%

Annex (81 decided)

91.4%

Basement (72 decided)

95.8%

Flat Conversion (35 decided)

97.1%

Approval rate by ward

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

ST PETER AND THE WATERFRONT (931 decided)

95.5%

COMPTON (546 decided)

91.9%

PLYMSTOCK RADFORD (519 decided)

91.9%

MOORVIEW (423 decided)

94.6%

STOKE (373 decided)

94.1%

PLYMSTOCK DUNSTONE (363 decided)

94.8%

PLYMPTON ST MARY (360 decided)

91.9%

BUDSHEAD (333 decided)

93.1%

PEVERELL (329 decided)

93.9%

EGGBUCKLAND (302 decided)

91.1%

DRAKE (271 decided)

93.0%

PLYMPTON ERLE (260 decided)

95.8%

DEVONPORT (255 decided)

92.9%

SUTTON AND MOUNT GOULD (253 decided)

92.5%

SOUTHWAY (209 decided)

91.4%

ST BUDEAUX (196 decided)

87.8%

EFFORD AND LIPSON (192 decided)

86.5%

HONICKNOWLE (170 decided)

90.6%

HAM (135 decided)

92.6%

PLYMPTON CHADDLEWOOD (127 decided)

96.1%

Wards in Plymouth

ST PETER AND THE WATERFRONT

95.5% approval · 931 decisions

COMPTON

91.9% approval · 546 decisions

PLYMSTOCK RADFORD

91.9% approval · 519 decisions

MOORVIEW

94.6% approval · 423 decisions

STOKE

94.1% approval · 373 decisions

PLYMSTOCK DUNSTONE

94.8% approval · 363 decisions

PLYMPTON ST MARY

91.9% approval · 360 decisions

BUDSHEAD

93.1% approval · 333 decisions

PEVERELL

93.9% approval · 329 decisions

EGGBUCKLAND

91.1% approval · 302 decisions

DRAKE

93.0% approval · 271 decisions

PLYMPTON ERLE

95.8% approval · 260 decisions

DEVONPORT

92.9% approval · 255 decisions

SUTTON AND MOUNT GOULD

92.5% approval · 253 decisions

SOUTHWAY

91.4% approval · 209 decisions

ST BUDEAUX

87.8% approval · 196 decisions

EFFORD AND LIPSON

86.5% approval · 192 decisions

HONICKNOWLE

90.6% approval · 170 decisions

HAM

92.6% approval · 135 decisions

PLYMPTON CHADDLEWOOD

96.1% approval · 127 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

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

26/00217/PRDE

Proposed rear dormer and single storey rear extension · PLYMSTOCK DUNSTONE · Thu 12 Mar 2026

Approved

26/00169/TCO

T1 - Beech - Reduce tree in height by 3-4m and sides by 2-3m. · COMPTON · Mon 09 Mar 2026

Approved

26/00126/EXUS

To establish use as a Sui Generis 10 bedroom HMO · DRAKE · Fri 27 Feb 2026

Approved

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

What gets approved near your property?

In Plymouth, 1 in 14 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 Plymouth
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Get Plymouth Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 6,550 decisions.

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