Scarborough planning approval rate

Name: Scarborough planning approval rate
Creator: PlanningLens
Published: 2026-08-16T10:57:38+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Scarborough council approved 84.4% of planning applications and refused 15.6%, based on 327 decisions analysed. Ranked 43rd out of 300 councils for strictness.

Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to December 2025

Scarborough Council was abolished in April 2023 and its area is now covered by North Yorkshire Council. This page is kept as a historical record; the figures cover decisions published up to the handover and no longer update.

84.4%

overall approval rate

327

Decisions analysed

276

Approved

Refused

Wards covered

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

Full (208 decided)

87.0%

Other (46 decided)

80.4%

Listed Building (29 decided)

86.2%

Trees (21 decided)

71.4%

Advertisement (14 decided)

92.9%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Scarborough, mined from 327 proposal descriptions.

Garage / Parking (45 decided)

84.4%

Rear Extension (36 decided)

94.4%

Extension (General) (27 decided)

92.6%

New Build (26 decided)

88.5%

Side Extension (19 decided)

94.7%

Outbuilding (17 decided)

88.2%

Change of Use (Residential) (17 decided)

94.1%

Dormer (15 decided)

86.7%

Approval rate by ward

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

Weaponness & Ramshill (50 decided)

84.0%

Castle (40 decided)

87.5%

Whitby Streonshalh (36 decided)

83.3%

Hunmanby And Sherburn (28 decided)

75.0%

Filey (21 decided)

95.2%

Whitby West (20 decided)

90.0%

Wards in Scarborough

Weaponness & Ramshill

84.0% approval · 50 decisions

Castle

87.5% approval · 40 decisions

Whitby Streonshalh

83.3% approval · 36 decisions

Hunmanby And Sherburn

75.0% approval · 28 decisions

Filey

95.2% approval · 21 decisions

Whitby West

90.0% approval · 20 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

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

ZF25/01095/AA

Proposed 2no. free standing sign on boundary, and 2 signs affixed to external wa · Eastfield · Fri 28 Nov 2025

Approved

ZF25/00992/FL

Redevelopment and change of use from of No.10 Holiday Homes to No.9 market dwell · Hunmanby And Sherburn · Fri 28 Nov 2025

Refused

ZF25/00442/FL

Erection of 3No dwellings · Hunmanby And Sherburn · Fri 28 Nov 2025

Refused

Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Scarborough, 1 in 6 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 Scarborough
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Free planning check for Scarborough →

Free. Based on 327 decisions.

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