West Devon planning approval rate
West Devon council approved 89.7% of planning applications and refused 10.3%, based on 156 decisions analysed. Ranked 117th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
89.7%
overall approval rate
Planning in West Devon?
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 West Devon. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in West Devon, mined from 156 proposal descriptions.
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within West Devon. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Salcombe & Thurlestone (21 decided)
90.5%
Wards in West Devon
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in West Devon, showing how the council decides real applications.
Alterations to openings and additional solar panels · Dartmouth & East Dart · 2026-08-14
Erection of dwelling · Salcombe & Thurlestone · 2026-08-12
Prior Approval Application for proposed erection of Earth Banked Slurry Lagoon f · Ermington & Ugborough · 2026-08-07
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In West Devon, 1 in 10 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 West Devon
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for West Devon →
Free. Based on 156 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in West Devon
What is the planning approval rate in West Devon?
Based on 156 planning decisions analysed since 2020, West Devon approved 89.7% of applications and refused 10.3%. The council is ranked 117th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in West Devon?
West Devon refuses 10.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 10. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 156 decided applications since 2020, 16 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of West Devon have the highest planning approval rates?
Approval rates in West Devon vary by ward, see the ward breakdown above for detailed figures for each area.
What types of planning application are most common in West Devon?
The most common planning application types in West Devon are: Other (54 decisions, 87.0% approved), Full (41, 87.8%), and Discharge of Conditions (30, 93.3%).
How long does a planning application take in West Devon?
Planning applications in West Devon take an average of 4.7 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 155 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is inside 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. West Devon decides approximately 26 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in West Devon?
You can search planning applications in West Devon directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 156 historical decisions in West Devon to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for West Devon calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes West Devon'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.