Planning Approval Rate in West Devon
West Devon is close to the England average for planning permission: it approves 84.5% of applications and decides 93.2% of them within the statutory time limit, ranking #233 of 310 English authorities. This page sets out how hard it is to get planning permission in West 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 West Devon Borough Council.
Source: official MHCLG planning statistics (PS2), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Based on 355 decisions (300 granted, 55 refused).
How West Devon compares
| West Devon | 84.5% |
| South West average | 89.5% |
| England average | 87% |
West Devon is 2.5 points stricter than the England average.
How hard is it to get planning permission in West Devon?
West Devon is in the stricter third of English authorities, granting 84.5% of the applications it decides (rank 233rd of 310). That puts it close to the England average — 84.5% approved against an England average of 87%. Within South West it is the 23rd most approving of 27 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 89.5%. Refusals are fairly frequent here: 55 of its 355 decisions were refusals (15.5%). On the split by scale it is far tougher on major schemes than on small ones: 73.3% of major developments approved versus 90.2% of householder and other small-scale work, from 15 major decisions.
On timing it is a little faster than average, deciding 93.2% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on a relatively light caseload of 355 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 Exeter (85.2%, more approving) and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (83.3%, stricter). For context in South West, Cheltenham approves the most (96.5%) and Gloucester the least (80.5%).
Compare West 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 West Devon
Live planning activity in West Devon Borough Council
From the latest planning data PlanWatch holds (to 6 August 2026). These are the records we've collected — the freshness the annual government table lacks.
What people apply for in West Devon Borough Council
Where planning activity concentrates in West Devon Borough Council
Recent applications in West Devon Borough Council
Track live decisions near a postcode on the PlanWatch West Devon page.
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Planning permission in West Devon: common questions
Is it hard to get planning permission in West Devon?
On the latest official figures West Devon is close to the England average and in the stricter third of English authorities, approving 84.5% of the 355 applications it decided over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 against 87% for England.
What percentage of planning applications does West Devon approve or refuse?
Refusals are fairly frequent here: 84.5% approved and 15.5% refused — 300 granted and 55 refused of 355 decisions, with major schemes approved at 73.3% and householder and other work at 90.2%.
How quickly does West Devon decide planning applications?
On timing West Devon is a little faster than average: 93.2% of applications were decided within the statutory period — eight weeks for most, thirteen for major schemes — against 90.6% nationally.
Is West Devon stricter than nearby councils?
West Devon's 84.5% approval rate makes it the 23rd most approving of 27 authorities in South West, against a 89.5% regional average. Neighbouring Exeter approves 85.2% and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 83.3%.
Can I use West Devon's approval rate to predict whether my application will be approved?
No — the approval rate is a historic average across every application West 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 West Devon Borough 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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