Planning Approval Rate in South Derbyshire
South Derbyshire is somewhat more approving than the England average for planning permission: it approves 93.8% of applications and decides 90% of them within the statutory time limit, ranking #50 of 310 English authorities. This page sets out how hard it is to get planning permission in South Derbyshire, how quickly the council decides, and how it compares with its neighbours — from official government figures plus the live planning activity PlanWatch tracks across South Derbyshire District Council.
Source: official MHCLG planning statistics (PS2), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Based on 599 decisions (562 granted, 37 refused).
How South Derbyshire compares
| South Derbyshire | 93.8% |
| East Midlands average | 89.8% |
| England average | 87% |
South Derbyshire is 6.8 points easier than the England average.
How hard is it to get planning permission in South Derbyshire?
South Derbyshire is in the more approving third of English authorities, granting 93.8% of the applications it decides (rank 50th of 310). That puts it somewhat more approving than the England average — 93.8% approved against an England average of 87%. Within East Midlands it is the 9th most approving of 35 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 89.8%. Refusals are uncommon here: 37 of its 599 decisions were refusals (6.2%). On the split by scale it is somewhat tougher on major schemes than on small ones: 85% of major developments approved versus 96.7% of householder and other small-scale work, from 40 major decisions.
On timing it is about average on speed, deciding 90% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on a mid-sized caseload of 599 decisions over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, where the typical English authority decides around 783. Among its East Midlands neighbours it sits between Erewash (94.1%, more approving) and Broxtowe (93%, stricter). For context in East Midlands, North Kesteven approves the most (97.2%) and Oadby and Wigston the least (71.7%).
Compare South Derbyshire with nearby councils
Approval rates for other authorities in East Midlands. See the full East Midlands league table.
Approval rate by development scale in South Derbyshire
Live planning activity in South Derbyshire District Council
From the latest planning data PlanWatch holds (to 21 August 2026). These are the records we've collected — the freshness the annual government table lacks.
What people apply for in South Derbyshire District Council
Where planning activity concentrates in South Derbyshire District Council
Recent applications in South Derbyshire District Council
Track live decisions near a postcode on the PlanWatch South Derbyshire page.
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Planning permission in South Derbyshire: common questions
Is it hard to get planning permission in South Derbyshire?
On the latest official figures South Derbyshire is somewhat more approving than the England average and in the more approving third of English authorities, approving 93.8% of the 599 applications it decided over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 against 87% for England.
What percentage of planning applications does South Derbyshire approve or refuse?
Refusals are uncommon here: 93.8% approved and 6.2% refused — 562 granted and 37 refused of 599 decisions, with major schemes approved at 85% and householder and other work at 96.7%.
How quickly does South Derbyshire decide planning applications?
On timing South Derbyshire is about average on speed: 90% of applications were decided within the statutory period — eight weeks for most, thirteen for major schemes — against 90.6% nationally.
Is South Derbyshire stricter than nearby councils?
South Derbyshire's 93.8% approval rate makes it the 9th most approving of 35 authorities in East Midlands, against a 89.8% regional average. Neighbouring Erewash approves 94.1% and Broxtowe 93%.
Can I use South Derbyshire's approval rate to predict whether my application will be approved?
No — the approval rate is a historic average across every application South Derbyshire 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 South Derbyshire 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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