Planning Approval Rate in North Devon
North Devon is somewhat more approving than the England average for planning permission: it approves 93.8% of applications and decides 97.2% of them within the statutory time limit, ranking #49 of 310 English authorities. This page sets out how hard it is to get planning permission in North 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 North Devon District Council.
Source: official MHCLG planning statistics (PS2), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Based on 963 decisions (903 granted, 60 refused).
How North Devon compares
| North Devon | 93.8% |
| South West average | 89.5% |
| England average | 87% |
North Devon is 6.8 points easier than the England average.
How hard is it to get planning permission in North Devon?
North Devon is in the more approving third of English authorities, granting 93.8% of the applications it decides (rank 49th of 310). That puts it somewhat more approving than the England average — 93.8% approved against an England average of 87%. Within South West it is the 4th most approving of 27 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 89.5%. Refusals are uncommon here: 60 of its 963 decisions were refusals (6.2%). On the split by scale it is somewhat tougher on major schemes than on small ones: 92.1% of major developments approved versus 97.4% of householder and other small-scale work, from 38 major decisions.
On timing it is among the faster authorities, deciding 97.2% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on a mid-sized caseload of 963 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 Mid Devon (94.4%, more approving) and Wiltshire (93%, stricter). For context in South West, Cheltenham approves the most (96.5%) and Gloucester the least (80.5%).
Compare North 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 North Devon
Live planning activity in North Devon District Council
From the latest planning data PlanWatch holds (to 20 August 2026). These are the records we've collected — the freshness the annual government table lacks.
What people apply for in North Devon District Council
Where planning activity concentrates in North Devon District Council
Recent applications in North Devon District Council
Track live decisions near a postcode on the PlanWatch North Devon page.
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Planning permission in North Devon: common questions
Is it hard to get planning permission in North Devon?
On the latest official figures North Devon is somewhat more approving than the England average and in the more approving third of English authorities, approving 93.8% of the 963 applications it decided over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 against 87% for England.
What percentage of planning applications does North Devon approve or refuse?
Refusals are uncommon here: 93.8% approved and 6.2% refused — 903 granted and 60 refused of 963 decisions, with major schemes approved at 92.1% and householder and other work at 97.4%.
How quickly does North Devon decide planning applications?
On timing North Devon is among the faster authorities: 97.2% of applications were decided within the statutory period — eight weeks for most, thirteen for major schemes — against 90.6% nationally.
Is North Devon stricter than nearby councils?
North Devon's 93.8% approval rate makes it the 4th most approving of 27 authorities in South West, against a 89.5% regional average. Neighbouring Mid Devon approves 94.4% and Wiltshire 93%.
Can I use North Devon's approval rate to predict whether my application will be approved?
No — the approval rate is a historic average across every application North 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 North 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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