Cornwall planning appeals
Inspectors allowed 43% of the planning appeals decided against Cornwall, 12 points above the England figure of 31%.
That ranks Cornwall 26 of 195 English councils with at least 20 appeals decided, counting from the most often overturned.
What this means if you are objecting
A refusal here is overturned more often than in most of England, so a developer refused by Cornwall has better than average odds on appeal. That is an argument for making your objection rest on the adopted local plan rather than on amenity alone, because policy conflict is what survives an inspector reading the file.
Householder appeals
23 householder appeals were decided against Cornwall, with 35% allowed. These are extensions, loft conversions and the like, and they are decided under a faster procedure than a full planning appeal.
Against the rest of South West
Across South West, inspectors allowed 33% of planning appeals on average. Cornwall is a unitary authority.
Other councils in South West
- South Gloucestershire44% (25/57)
- Tewkesbury43% (12/28)
- West Devon40% (14/35)
- Wiltshire39% (42/108)
- Somerset38% (53/138)
- Forest of Dean38% (8/21)
- Cotswold38% (12/32)
- South Hams35% (7/20)
Objecting to an application in Cornwall?
Enter the planning reference and we will check the designations on the site, the adopted local plan and the applicant's own documents, then tell you which grounds you actually have. That part is free.
Check my grounds, freeFigures cover April 2025 to March 2026 and come from the Planning Inspectorate, Decisions by LPA and decision maker, published under the Open Government Licence. Section 78 planning appeals only. “Allowed” means the inspector granted permission the council had refused. Source data.