Torfaen Council approves 91.8% of planning applications, based on 3,360 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Torfaen sits 6.8 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 397 decided applications, Torfaen Council approved 94.7% of planning applications in 2025. Across 3,360 decisions on record (March 2006 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Torfaen is 91.8%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Torfaen council planning portal records · Data to 29 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 Torfaen.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 2,814 | 222 | 3,036 | 92.7% |
| Other | 585 | 62 | 647 | 90.4% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 522 | 12 | 534 | 97.8% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 283 | 47 | 330 | 85.8% |
| Trees | 236 | 11 | 247 | 95.5% |
| Advertisement | 93 | 3 | 96 | 96.9% |
| Prior Approval | 25 | 15 | 40 | 62.5% |
| Listed Building | 25 | 3 | 28 | 89.3% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not Applicable | 1,937 | 174 | 2,111 | 91.8% |
| Llantarnam | 357 | 17 | 374 | 95.5% |
| New Inn | 228 | 24 | 252 | 90.5% |
| Blaenavon | 238 | 12 | 250 | 95.2% |
| Panteg | 211 | 14 | 225 | 93.8% |
| Pontypool Fawr | 190 | 11 | 201 | 94.5% |
| Pontnewydd | 172 | 17 | 189 | 91.0% |
| Abersychan | 170 | 19 | 189 | 89.9% |
| Two Locks | 139 | 16 | 155 | 89.7% |
| Llanyrafon East And Ponthir | 142 | 11 | 153 | 92.8% |
| St Dials | 105 | 10 | 115 | 91.3% |
| Fairwater | 87 | 8 | 95 | 91.6% |
| Croesyceiliog | 84 | 6 | 90 | 93.3% |
| Llanyrafon West | 83 | 4 | 87 | 95.4% |
| Upper Cwmbran | 77 | 5 | 82 | 93.9% |
| Croesyceiliog South | 59 | 0 | 59 | 100.0% |
| Coed Eva | 50 | 8 | 58 | 86.2% |
| Greenmeadow | 51 | 2 | 53 | 96.2% |
| Trevethin And Penygarn | 46 | 5 | 51 | 90.2% |
| Pontnewynydd And Snatchwood | 36 | 4 | 40 | 90.0% |
| Wainfelin | 29 | 3 | 32 | 90.6% |
| Trevethin | 29 | 0 | 29 | 100.0% |
| Brynwern | 18 | 1 | 19 | 94.7% |
| Cymynyscoy | 15 | 3 | 18 | 83.3% |
| Snatchwood | 16 | 1 | 17 | 94.1% |
How Torfaen’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 4.8pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Torfaen council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/P/0389/TPO Trevethin And Penygarn | Scots Pine - Foliage tip reduction on SW side of crown by up to 1.5m back to sui | Approved |
| 26/P/0364/LBC Pontypool Fawr | Replacement of the windows, roof covering, associated works, and other isolated | Approved |
| 26/P/0345/HH St Dials | Proposed Conversion of garage to annex with associated external alterations incl | Approved |
| 26/P/0372/HH Abersychan | Proposed single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| 25/P/0754/FUL Panteg | Conversion of shop to mixed use shop, meeting place, coffee house and internet c | Approved |
| 26/P/0392/CEA Llanyrafon East And Ponthir | Construction of a single-storey rear extension to the existing dwelling to provi | Approved |
| 26/P/0380/HH Greenmeadow | Storm porch to front of property | Approved |
| 26/P/0349/HH Abersychan | Proposed two storey side and rear house extension. | Approved |
| 26/P/0374/DEM Panteg | Steel frame building with asbestos roof. Non supportive brick walls | Approved |
| 26/P/0379/FUL Pontypool Fawr | Replacement of flat roof with new mono pitched lightweight metal roof | 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 Torfaen's 3,360 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Torfaen's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Torfaen'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 Torfaen. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 3,360 real decisions from Torfaen 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 Torfaen'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 3,360 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Torfaen is 91.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 3,360 planning decisions from Torfaen council. 3,084 were approved and 276 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, March 2006 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Torfaen is 91.8%, 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 Torfaen? 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.