Planning Approval Rate in East Devon
East Devon is close to the England average for planning permission: it approves 89% of applications and decides 80.2% of them within the statutory time limit, ranking #148 of 310 English authorities. This page sets out how hard it is to get planning permission in East Devon, how quickly the council decides, and how it compares with its neighbours — from official government figures plus the live planning activity PlanWatch tracks across East Devon District Council.
Source: official MHCLG planning statistics (PS2), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Based on 1,323 decisions (1,177 granted, 146 refused).
How East Devon compares
| East Devon | 89% |
| South West average | 89.5% |
| England average | 87% |
East Devon is 2 points easier than the England average.
How hard is it to get planning permission in East Devon?
East Devon is a little more approving than the median English authority, granting 89% of the applications it decides (rank 148th of 310). That puts it close to the England average — 89% approved against an England average of 87%. Within South West it is the 13th most approving of 27 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 89.5%. Refusals are uncommon here: 146 of its 1,323 decisions were refusals (11%). On the split by scale it is far tougher on major schemes than on small ones: 77.3% of major developments approved versus 92.7% of householder and other small-scale work, from 44 major decisions.
On timing it is among the slower authorities, deciding 80.2% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on one of the heavier caseloads of 1,323 decisions over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, where the typical English authority decides around 783. Among its South West neighbours it sits between Somerset (89%, more approving) and Cotswold (89%, stricter). For context in South West, Cheltenham approves the most (96.5%) and Gloucester the least (80.5%).
Compare East Devon with nearby councils
Approval rates for other authorities in South West. See the full South West league table.
Approval rate by development scale in East Devon
Live planning activity in East Devon District Council
From the latest planning data PlanWatch holds (to 10 September 2026). These are the records we've collected — the freshness the annual government table lacks.
What people apply for in East Devon District Council
Where planning activity concentrates in East Devon District Council
Recent applications in East Devon District Council
Track live decisions near a postcode on the PlanWatch East Devon page.
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Planning permission in East Devon: common questions
Is it hard to get planning permission in East Devon?
On the latest official figures East Devon is close to the England average and a little more approving than the median English authority, approving 89% of the 1,323 applications it decided over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 against 87% for England.
What percentage of planning applications does East Devon approve or refuse?
Refusals are uncommon here: 89% approved and 11% refused — 1,177 granted and 146 refused of 1,323 decisions, with major schemes approved at 77.3% and householder and other work at 92.7%.
How quickly does East Devon decide planning applications?
On timing East Devon is among the slower authorities: 80.2% of applications were decided within the statutory period — eight weeks for most, thirteen for major schemes — against 90.6% nationally.
Is East Devon stricter than nearby councils?
East Devon's 89% approval rate makes it the 13th most approving of 27 authorities in South West, against a 89.5% regional average. Neighbouring Somerset approves 89% and Cotswold 89%.
Can I use East Devon's approval rate to predict whether my application will be approved?
No — the approval rate is a historic average across every application East Devon decided, not a prediction for any individual application; your outcome depends on the site, the proposal, local planning policy and any objections.
Methodology & limits
Approval, refusal and in-time rates come from the government's official PS2 planning application statistics (Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government), covering 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. This dataset is England-only and published annually, so it lags live activity. Live figures are the applications PlanWatch has collected for East Devon District Council and are not a complete council register. Refusal reasons and delegated-vs-committee splits are not published in this data.
This is a historic average, not a prediction. It cannot tell you whether your application will be approved — that depends on your site, proposal, local policy and any objections.
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