Torbay Council approves 83.6% of planning applications, based on 1,967 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%. Torbay sits 4.9 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 1,967 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Torbay is 83.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Torbay council planning portal records · Updated June 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trees | 541 | 84 | 625 | 86.6% |
| Full | 451 | 83 | 534 | 84.5% |
| Other | 344 | 87 | 431 | 79.8% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 89 | 28 | 117 | 76.1% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 87 | 8 | 95 | 91.6% |
| Listed Building | 70 | 14 | 84 | 83.3% |
| Prior Approval | 35 | 8 | 43 | 81.4% |
| Advertisement | 28 | 10 | 38 | 73.7% |
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 | 255 | 66 | 321 | 79.4% |
| Tormohun | 189 | 43 | 232 | 81.5% |
| Cockington With Chelston | 142 | 22 | 164 | 86.6% |
| St Marychurch | 139 | 23 | 162 | 85.8% |
| Churston With Galmpton | 120 | 16 | 136 | 88.2% |
| Preston | 111 | 20 | 131 | 84.7% |
| St Peters With St Marys | 113 | 15 | 128 | 88.3% |
| Roundham With Hyde | 95 | 25 | 120 | 79.2% |
| Furzeham With Summercombe | 101 | 11 | 112 | 90.2% |
| Barton With Watcombe | 88 | 21 | 109 | 80.7% |
| Shiphay | 80 | 9 | 89 | 89.9% |
| Ellacombe | 62 | 18 | 80 | 77.5% |
| Goodrington With Roselands | 53 | 12 | 65 | 81.5% |
| Clifton With Maidenway | 38 | 8 | 46 | 82.6% |
| Kings Ash | 29 | 7 | 36 | 80.6% |
| Collaton St Mary | 26 | 5 | 31 | 83.9% |
How Torbay’s planning approval rate has changed year by year — up 1.2pp since 2024.
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/2026/0151 Preston | Alterations to roof to include installation of dormers to front and rear. | Refused |
| P/2026/0071 Shiphay | Loft Conversion to include rooflights and installation of window at rear. | Approved |
| P/2025/0409 St Peters With St Marys | Internal alterations to ground floor retail units (combining 2 into 1). Internal | Approved |
| P/2026/0248 St Marychurch | Formation of new external door to southwest elevation. | Approved |
| P/2026/0175 Roundham With Hyde | Change of Use from existing Class E Ambulance Offices to Class C2 Residential In | Refused |
| P/2026/0095 Roundham With Hyde | Change of use from C1 Hotel to Sui Generis House of Multiple Occupation. | Refused |
| P/2022/0339 Churston With Galmpton | Change of use from agricultural land to outdoor football pitch, formation of par | Approved |
| P/2020/0480 Churston With Galmpton | Change of use from agricultural land to outdoor football pitch for sports and re | Approved |
| P/2026/0269 Furzeham With Summercombe | Conversion of garage block for ancillary use (garden room), to include roof conv | Approved |
| P/2026/0195 Goodrington With Roselands | Erection of 1.9 metre high close-boarded fence to a section of the front boundar | 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 1,967 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 1,967 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 1,967 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Torbay is 83.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,967 planning decisions from Torbay council. 1,645 were approved and 322 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Torbay is 83.6%, 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.