Planning Approval Rate in Isles of Scilly

Isles of Scilly is in the more approving third of English authorities, granting 91.4% of the applications it decides (rank 99th of 310). That puts it somewhat more approving than the England average — 91.4% approved against an England average of 87%. Within South West it is the 9th most approving of 27 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 89.5%. Refusals are uncommon here: 5 of its 58 decisions were refusals (8.6%). On the split by scale it is somewhat more lenient on major schemes than on small ones: 100% of major developments approved versus 88.6% of householder and other small-scale work, from 3 major decisions.

On timing it is a little slower than average, deciding 86.2% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on a relatively light caseload of 58 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 Forest of Dean (92.3%, more approving) and Dorset (90.7%, stricter). For context in South West, Cheltenham approves the most (96.5%) and Gloucester the least (80.5%).