Torbay Council approves 80.9% of planning applications, based on 5,711 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Torbay sits 7.7 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 947 decided applications, Torbay Council approved 85.2% of planning applications in 2025. Across 5,711 decisions on record (June 2021 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Torbay is 80.9%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Torbay council planning portal records · Data to 9 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 Torbay.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,516 | 344 | 1,860 | 81.5% |
| Trees | 1,367 | 219 | 1,586 | 86.2% |
| Other | 1,000 | 334 | 1,334 | 75.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 190 | 86 | 276 | 68.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 207 | 25 | 232 | 89.2% |
| Listed Building | 166 | 31 | 197 | 84.3% |
| Prior Approval | 92 | 34 | 126 | 73.0% |
| Advertisement | 84 | 16 | 100 | 84.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellswood | 729 | 169 | 898 | 81.2% |
| Tormohun | 540 | 119 | 659 | 81.9% |
| St Marychurch | 373 | 99 | 472 | 79.0% |
| Cockington With Chelston | 368 | 79 | 447 | 82.3% |
| Churston With Galmpton | 330 | 64 | 394 | 83.8% |
| Preston | 318 | 67 | 385 | 82.6% |
| Furzeham With Summercombe | 304 | 52 | 356 | 85.4% |
| Roundham With Hyde | 257 | 83 | 340 | 75.6% |
| St Peters With St Marys | 268 | 54 | 322 | 83.2% |
| Barton With Watcombe | 253 | 65 | 318 | 79.6% |
| Shiphay | 216 | 54 | 270 | 80.0% |
| Ellacombe | 168 | 55 | 223 | 75.3% |
| Goodrington With Roselands | 160 | 46 | 206 | 77.7% |
| Clifton With Maidenway | 134 | 36 | 170 | 78.8% |
| Kings Ash | 91 | 25 | 116 | 78.4% |
| Collaton St Mary | 90 | 14 | 104 | 86.5% |
How Torbay’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 0.2pp since 2021.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Torbay council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| AT/2026/0214 Wellswood | Recent emergency approved felling of two older Lime trees in next door neighbour | Approved |
| P/2026/0396 Tormohun | Minor internal alterations to form dental practice, including lining of walls an | Approved |
| P/2026/0183 Cockington With Chelston | Replacement of failing single glazed C20/C21 windows with timber, heritage doubl | Approved |
| P/2026/0442 Tormohun | Construction of replacement porch. | Approved |
| P/2026/0161 Shiphay | Formation of side and rear two story extension with additional windows on the (S | Refused |
| P/2026/0375 Preston | Construction of single storey rear (N) and side (E) extension, front (S) canopie | Approved |
| P/2025/0671 Wellswood | Outline application for demolition of building and replacement with 8no. apartme | Approved |
| P/2026/0076 Preston | Construction of first-floor extension with gable-ended roof, including raised te | Approved |
| P/2025/0731 Tormohun | External alterations including new boundary wall, entrance gates, front porch, r | Approved |
| AT/2026/0171 Ellacombe | Trim branch's back slightly from touching our property and roof space to stop da | 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 Torbay's 5,711 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Torbay's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
More council comparisons coming soon.
Dig deeper into Torbay'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 Torbay. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 5,711 real decisions from Torbay 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 Torbay'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 5,711 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Torbay is 80.9%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 5,711 planning decisions from Torbay council. 4,622 were approved and 1,089 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, June 2021 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Torbay is 80.9%, 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 Torbay? 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.