Torbay planning approval rate
Torbay council approved 83.6% of planning applications and refused 16.4%, based on 1,967 decisions analysed. Ranked 33rd out of 279 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
83.6%
overall approval rate
1,967
Decisions analysed
1,645
Approved
322
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.
86.6%
84.5%
79.8%
91.6%
83.3%
81.4%
73.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Torbay — mined from 1,967 proposal descriptions.
81.4%
82.4%
77.5%
86.1%
77.8%
84.7%
93.2%
80.0%
81.5%
88.5%
60.0%
37.5%
87.5%
84.6%
50.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Torbay. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Wellswood
79.4%
Tormohun
81.5%
Cockington With Chelston
86.6%
St Marychurch
85.8%
Churston With Galmpton
88.2%
Preston
84.7%
St Peters With St Marys
88.3%
Roundham With Hyde
79.2%
Furzeham With Summercombe
90.2%
Barton With Watcombe
80.7%
Shiphay
89.9%
Ellacombe
77.5%
Goodrington With Roselands
81.5%
Clifton With Maidenway
82.6%
Kings Ash
80.6%
Collaton St Mary
83.9%
Wards in Torbay
Wellswood
79.4% approval · 321 decisions
Tormohun
81.5% approval · 232 decisions
Cockington With Chelston
86.6% approval · 164 decisions
St Marychurch
85.8% approval · 162 decisions
Churston With Galmpton
88.2% approval · 136 decisions
Preston
84.7% approval · 131 decisions
St Peters With St Marys
88.3% approval · 128 decisions
Roundham With Hyde
79.2% approval · 120 decisions
Furzeham With Summercombe
90.2% approval · 112 decisions
Barton With Watcombe
80.7% approval · 109 decisions
Shiphay
89.9% approval · 89 decisions
Ellacombe
77.5% approval · 80 decisions
Goodrington With Roselands
81.5% approval · 65 decisions
Clifton With Maidenway
82.6% approval · 46 decisions
Kings Ash
80.6% approval · 36 decisions
Collaton St Mary
83.9% approval · 31 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Torbay, showing how the council decides real applications.
Alterations to roof to include installation of dormers to front and rear. · Preston · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Loft Conversion to include rooflights and installation of window at rear. · Shiphay · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Internal alterations to ground floor retail units (combining 2 into 1). Internal · St Peters With St Marys · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Torbay, 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 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 1,967 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Torbay
What is the planning approval rate in Torbay?
Based on 1,967 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Torbay approved 83.6% of applications and refused 16.4%. The council is ranked 33rd out of 279 UK councils for approval rate.
Which areas of Torbay have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Torbay are in Furzeham With Summercombe (90.2%), Shiphay (89.9%), and St Peters With St Marys (88.3%). 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: Trees (625 decisions, 86.6% approved), Full (534, 84.5%), and Other (431, 79.8%).
How long does a planning application take in Torbay?
Planning applications in Torbay take an average of 10.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,939 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 328 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 1,967 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.