Torbay planning approval rate
Torbay council approved 80.9% of planning applications and refused 19.1%, based on 5,670 decisions analysed. Ranked 18th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
80.9%
overall approval rate
5,670
Decisions analysed
4,588
Approved
1,082
Refused
16
Wards covered
Planning in Torbay? 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 Torbay. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
81.5%
86.2%
74.8%
89.2%
84.1%
73.0%
84.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Torbay, mined from 5,670 proposal descriptions.
78.1%
80.4%
71.2%
83.1%
76.7%
80.4%
74.9%
87.5%
65.5%
69.7%
71.6%
83.1%
84.2%
40.0%
88.0%
50.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Torbay. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Wellswood
81.2%
Tormohun
81.8%
St Marychurch
78.9%
Cockington With Chelston
82.3%
Churston With Galmpton
84.1%
Preston
82.5%
Furzeham With Summercombe
85.4%
Roundham With Hyde
75.3%
St Peters With St Marys
83.5%
Barton With Watcombe
79.5%
Shiphay
80.3%
Ellacombe
75.0%
Goodrington With Roselands
77.7%
Clifton With Maidenway
78.7%
Kings Ash
78.4%
Collaton St Mary
86.5%
Wards in Torbay
Wellswood
81.2% approval · 890 decisions
Tormohun
81.8% approval · 653 decisions
St Marychurch
78.9% approval · 470 decisions
Cockington With Chelston
82.3% approval · 440 decisions
Churston With Galmpton
84.1% approval · 391 decisions
Preston
82.5% approval · 382 decisions
Furzeham With Summercombe
85.4% approval · 355 decisions
Roundham With Hyde
75.3% approval · 336 decisions
St Peters With St Marys
83.5% approval · 321 decisions
Barton With Watcombe
79.5% approval · 317 decisions
Shiphay
80.3% approval · 269 decisions
Ellacombe
75.0% approval · 220 decisions
Goodrington With Roselands
77.7% approval · 206 decisions
Clifton With Maidenway
78.7% approval · 169 decisions
Kings Ash
78.4% approval · 116 decisions
Collaton St Mary
86.5% approval · 104 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Torbay, showing how the council decides real applications.
Replacement of rear conservatory with single storey extension. [Revised site loc · Barton With Watcombe · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Change of use of upper floors of property from C1 (guesthouse) to six-bedroom HM · Tormohun · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Conversion of garage, first floor side extension over existing garage, construct · Churston With Galmpton · Wed 12 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Torbay, 1 in 5 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 Torbay
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Torbay →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Torbay
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 5,670 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Torbay
What is the planning approval rate in Torbay?
Based on 5,670 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Torbay approved 80.9% of applications and refused 19.1%. The council is ranked 18th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Torbay?
Torbay refuses 19.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 5. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 5,670 decided applications since 2020, 1,082 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Torbay have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Torbay are in Collaton St Mary (86.5%), Furzeham With Summercombe (85.4%), and Churston With Galmpton (84.1%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Torbay?
The most common planning application types in Torbay are: Full (1,845 decisions, 81.5% approved), Trees (1,572, 86.2%), and Other (1,328, 74.8%).
How long does a planning application take in Torbay?
Planning applications in Torbay take an average of 12.0 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 5,606 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Torbay decides approximately 945 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Torbay?
You can search planning applications in Torbay directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 5,670 historical decisions in Torbay to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Torbay calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Torbay's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.