Planning Approval Rate in South Hams
South Hams is close to the England average for planning permission: it approves 88.8% of applications and decides 92.8% of them within the statutory time limit, ranking #155 of 310 English authorities. This page sets out how hard it is to get planning permission in South Hams, 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 Hams District Council.
Source: official MHCLG planning statistics (PS2), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Based on 1,050 decisions (932 granted, 118 refused).
How South Hams compares
| South Hams | 88.8% |
| South West average | 89.5% |
| England average | 87% |
South Hams is 1.8 points easier than the England average.
How hard is it to get planning permission in South Hams?
South Hams is a little more approving than the median English authority, granting 88.8% of the applications it decides (rank 155th of 310). That puts it close to the England average — 88.8% approved against an England average of 87%. Within South West it is the 15th most approving of 27 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 89.5%. Refusals are uncommon here: 118 of its 1,050 decisions were refusals (11.2%). On the split by scale it is far tougher on major schemes than on small ones: 76.7% of major developments approved versus 92.8% of householder and other small-scale work, from 30 major decisions.
On timing it is a little faster than average, deciding 92.8% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on a mid-sized caseload of 1,050 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 Cotswold (89%, more approving) and Tewkesbury (88.2%, stricter). For context in South West, Cheltenham approves the most (96.5%) and Gloucester the least (80.5%).
Compare South Hams with nearby councils
Approval rates for other authorities in South West. See the full South West league table.
Approval rate by development scale in South Hams
Live planning activity in South Hams District Council
From the latest planning data PlanWatch holds (to 24 August 2026). These are the records we've collected — the freshness the annual government table lacks.
What people apply for in South Hams District Council
Where planning activity concentrates in South Hams District Council
Recent applications in South Hams District Council
Track live decisions near a postcode on the PlanWatch South Hams page.
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Planning permission in South Hams: common questions
Is it hard to get planning permission in South Hams?
On the latest official figures South Hams is close to the England average and a little more approving than the median English authority, approving 88.8% of the 1,050 applications it decided over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 against 87% for England.
What percentage of planning applications does South Hams approve or refuse?
Refusals are uncommon here: 88.8% approved and 11.2% refused — 932 granted and 118 refused of 1,050 decisions, with major schemes approved at 76.7% and householder and other work at 92.8%.
How quickly does South Hams decide planning applications?
On timing South Hams is a little faster than average: 92.8% of applications were decided within the statutory period — eight weeks for most, thirteen for major schemes — against 90.6% nationally.
Is South Hams stricter than nearby councils?
South Hams's 88.8% approval rate makes it the 15th most approving of 27 authorities in South West, against a 89.5% regional average. Neighbouring Cotswold approves 89% and Tewkesbury 88.2%.
Can I use South Hams's approval rate to predict whether my application will be approved?
No — the approval rate is a historic average across every application South Hams 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 Hams 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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