South Downs Council approves 91.2% of planning applications, based on 5,730 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. South Downs sits 6.2 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,068 decided applications, South Downs Council approved 94.7% of planning applications in 2025. Across 5,730 decisions on record (August 2020 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in South Downs is 91.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of South Downs 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 South Downs.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 4,366 | 427 | 4,793 | 91.1% |
| Trees | 2,190 | 16 | 2,206 | 99.3% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,886 | 82 | 1,968 | 95.8% |
| Listed Building | 1,041 | 53 | 1,094 | 95.2% |
| Other | 518 | 52 | 570 | 90.9% |
| Prior Approval | 433 | 56 | 489 | 88.5% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 316 | 88 | 404 | 78.2% |
| Advertisement | 79 | 12 | 91 | 86.8% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Meon Valley | 624 | 8 | 632 | 98.7% |
| Fittleworth Ward CH | 505 | 46 | 551 | 91.7% |
| Fernhurst Ward CH | 478 | 62 | 540 | 88.5% |
| Lewes Priory | 450 | 44 | 494 | 91.1% |
| Harting Ward CH | 444 | 28 | 472 | 94.1% |
| Midhurst Ward CH | 410 | 33 | 443 | 92.6% |
| Liss | 371 | 20 | 391 | 94.9% |
| Binsted, Bentley & Selborne | 360 | 22 | 382 | 94.2% |
| Central Meon Valley | 370 | 10 | 380 | 97.4% |
| Petworth Ward CH | 309 | 39 | 348 | 88.8% |
| Lewes Bridge | 306 | 35 | 341 | 89.7% |
| Easebourne Ward CH | 308 | 33 | 341 | 90.3% |
| Lewes Castle | 297 | 33 | 330 | 90.0% |
| Petersfield St Peter's | 313 | 17 | 330 | 94.8% |
| Ditchling And Westmeston | 307 | 22 | 329 | 93.3% |
| Lavant Ward CH | 275 | 32 | 307 | 89.6% |
| Alresford & Itchen Valley | 296 | 3 | 299 | 99.0% |
| Buriton & East Meon | 278 | 19 | 297 | 93.6% |
| Kingston | 259 | 32 | 291 | 89.0% |
| Froxfield, Sheet & Steep | 271 | 20 | 291 | 93.1% |
| East Dean | 264 | 16 | 280 | 94.3% |
| Colden Common And Twyford | 234 | 6 | 240 | 97.5% |
| Pulborough, Coldwatham and Amberley | 191 | 8 | 199 | 96.0% |
| Goodwood Ward CH | 180 | 14 | 194 | 92.8% |
| Arundel | 175 | 10 | 185 | 94.6% |
Showing top 25 of 75 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How South Downs’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.6pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from South Downs council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| SDNP/26/02945/HOUS Petworth Ward CH | Add gate to existing fence on West Boundary. | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02916/HOUS Harting Ward CH | Erection of a garage. | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02766/HOUS Fernhurst Ward CH | Replacement windows, garage doors and new wind out awning over sitting room wind | Approved |
| SDNP/26/01858/HOUS Easebourne Ward CH | Soft and hard landscaping works to rear and side and brick retaining wall. | Approved |
| SDNP/26/01859/LIS Easebourne Ward CH | Soft and hard landscaping works to rear and side and brick retaining wall. | Approved |
| SDNP/26/03066/FUL Lewes Priory | Extending existing first floor flat to complete first floor area, installation o | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02757/TCA Froxfield, Sheet & Steep | Removal of small hawthorn tree on property boundary | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02741/HOUS Lewes Priory | Loft conversion including hip to gable conversion, new window and rooflight and | Refused |
| SDNP/26/02659/TCA Petersfield St Peter's | G001 - Mixed species - Reduce all overhanging trees and shrub back to boundary a | Approved |
| SDNP/26/02492/FUL Ropley, Hawkley & Hangers | Replacement of existing stables. | 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 South Downs's 5,730 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare South Downs's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into South Downs'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 South Downs. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 5,730 real decisions from South Downs 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 South Downs'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 5,730 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in South Downs is 91.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 5,730 planning decisions from South Downs council. 5,228 were approved and 502 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, August 2020 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in South Downs is 91.2%, 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 South Downs? 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.