Plymouth Council approves 92.0% of planning applications, based on 4,579 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Plymouth sits 7.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,060 decided applications, Plymouth Council approved 92.5% of planning applications in 2025. Across 4,579 decisions on record (January 2020 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Plymouth is 92.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Plymouth 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 Plymouth.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 3,750 | 305 | 4,055 | 92.5% |
| Trees | 1,282 | 56 | 1,338 | 95.8% |
| Other | 854 | 91 | 945 | 90.4% |
| Listed Building | 447 | 17 | 464 | 96.3% |
| Advertisement | 282 | 16 | 298 | 94.6% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 272 | 19 | 291 | 93.5% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter And The Waterfront | 1,043 | 50 | 1,093 | 95.4% |
| Compton | 562 | 50 | 612 | 91.8% |
| Plymstock Radford | 525 | 47 | 572 | 91.8% |
| Moorview | 444 | 27 | 471 | 94.3% |
| Stoke | 404 | 23 | 427 | 94.6% |
| Plymstock Dunstone | 388 | 20 | 408 | 95.1% |
| Plympton St Mary | 373 | 29 | 402 | 92.8% |
| Peverell | 350 | 22 | 372 | 94.1% |
| Budshead | 336 | 26 | 362 | 92.8% |
| Eggbuckland | 316 | 30 | 346 | 91.3% |
| Drake | 295 | 19 | 314 | 93.9% |
| Plympton Erle | 282 | 11 | 293 | 96.2% |
| Devonport | 261 | 23 | 284 | 91.9% |
| Sutton And Mount Gould | 260 | 20 | 280 | 92.9% |
| Southway | 217 | 21 | 238 | 91.2% |
| St Budeaux | 193 | 24 | 217 | 88.9% |
| Efford And Lipson | 184 | 27 | 211 | 87.2% |
| Honicknowle | 173 | 18 | 191 | 90.6% |
| HAM | 140 | 10 | 150 | 93.3% |
| Plympton Chaddlewood | 137 | 7 | 144 | 95.1% |
How Plymouth’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 1.0pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Plymouth council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01087/FUL St Peter And The Waterfront | Replacement of existing fence and gate with new security fence | Approved |
| 26/01090/ADV Peverell | Erection of an illuminated small format advertising display | Approved |
| 26/00964/FUL Plymstock Dunstone | Proposed conservatory on front of property | Approved |
| 26/01173/TCO Peverell | T1 Yew tree - Reduce leaving a finished crown height of 6m. | Approved |
| 26/01154/TCO St Peter And The Waterfront | 009S: Crown lift to give 2m clearance from building on Western side. 009V: Crown | Approved |
| 26/00897/ADV Plympton St Mary | New internally illuminated fascia, 2no new digitally printed window vinyls | Approved |
| 26/00821/FUL Plympton St Mary | Single storey side and front extension | Approved |
| 26/01247/PRUS Compton | Change of use from dwelling (Class C3) to supported living accommodation (Class | Approved |
| 26/00728/FUL Stoke | Change of use from offices to four houses in multiple occupation (Class C4) with | Approved |
| 26/01074/PRDE Moorview | Erection of double garage | 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 Plymouth's 4,579 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Plymouth's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Plymouth'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 Plymouth. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 4,579 real decisions from Plymouth 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 Plymouth'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 4,579 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Plymouth is 92.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 4,579 planning decisions from Plymouth council. 4,215 were approved and 364 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Plymouth is 92.0%, 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 Plymouth? 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.