Torbay Council approves 80.9% of planning applications, based on 5,658 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 5,658 decisions analysed since January 2020, 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 · Updated August 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 | 1,500 | 341 | 1,841 | 81.5% |
| Trees | 1,353 | 217 | 1,570 | 86.2% |
| Other | 991 | 333 | 1,324 | 74.8% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 189 | 83 | 272 | 69.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 205 | 25 | 230 | 89.1% |
| Listed Building | 164 | 31 | 195 | 84.1% |
| 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 | 722 | 167 | 889 | 81.2% |
| Tormohun | 532 | 118 | 650 | 81.8% |
| St Marychurch | 371 | 99 | 470 | 78.9% |
| Cockington With Chelston | 362 | 78 | 440 | 82.3% |
| Churston With Galmpton | 327 | 62 | 389 | 84.1% |
| Preston | 315 | 67 | 382 | 82.5% |
| Furzeham With Summercombe | 302 | 52 | 354 | 85.3% |
| Roundham With Hyde | 253 | 83 | 336 | 75.3% |
| St Peters With St Marys | 268 | 53 | 321 | 83.5% |
| Barton With Watcombe | 251 | 65 | 316 | 79.4% |
| Shiphay | 216 | 53 | 269 | 80.3% |
| Ellacombe | 165 | 55 | 220 | 75.0% |
| Goodrington With Roselands | 159 | 46 | 205 | 77.6% |
| Clifton With Maidenway | 132 | 36 | 168 | 78.6% |
| Kings Ash | 91 | 25 | 116 | 78.4% |
| Collaton St Mary | 89 | 13 | 102 | 87.3% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| P/2026/0326 Roundham With Hyde | Change of use of existing dwellinghouse (Use Class C3) to a small-scale supporte | Refused |
| AT/2026/0201 Wellswood | T1:Rear Garden Area:1x Cedar: Sectional fell to fence height.Tree has had no sig | Approved |
| AT/2026/0151 Tormohun | T1 - Mature bay tree.Tree is leaning against an old stone boundary wall, on the | Approved |
| P/2026/0202 Kings Ash | Formation of single-storey rear extension with flat roof & parapet, including ro | Approved |
| P/2026/0404 Kings Ash | Demolition of existing conservatory, construction of extension to south-west (re | Approved |
| P/2026/0390 St Peters With St Marys | Installation of doors to an existing single storey extension to the rear elevati | Approved |
| P/2025/0836 Kings Ash | Demolition of existing building and construction of 25no Affordable Homes for ov | Approved |
| P/2026/0333 Goodrington With Roselands | Installation of first floor terrace/balcony to rear of dwelling, including glass | Refused |
| P/2026/0378 Tormohun | Change of use from commercial unit (Use Class E) to residential flat (Use Class | Approved |
| P/2026/0240 Furzeham With Summercombe | Alterations and extensions including a loft conversion with dormers to the west | Refused |
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 5,658 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Torbay's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
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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 5,658 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 5,658 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 5,658 planning decisions from Torbay council. 4,578 were approved and 1,080 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
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.