Worthing refuses just 1 in 18 home projects. That is less than half the national refusal rate.
Adur and Worthing council received 1,025 planning applications in 2025 and approved 94.6% of those it decided, against a national average of 87.6%. Only 5.4% were refused, about 1 in 18, compared with 12.4% nationally. Dormers and loft conversions both run at roughly twice the national rate, and conservation-area works at 2.3 times. This is a town where permission is unusually easy to win.
The year in one line
Adur and Worthing approved 94.6% of applications decided in 2025 and refused only 1 in 18, well below the national norm, while filing dormer and loft-conversion schemes at roughly twice the national rate and conservation-area works at 2.3 times.
What Worthing Is Building
Extensions lead, but roofs and conservation areas set the town apart.
Home extensions were the most common application, at 34.9% of the total, above the national share of 29.1%. The figures that distinguish Worthing sit on the roof and in its conservation areas: dormers made up 12.5% of applications, against 6.0% nationally, and loft conversions 5.0%, against 2.6%. Conservation-area works reached 4.3%, more than double the national 1.9%. This is the application mix of a town with a heritage streetscape that owners are actively adding space to.
Applications submitted to Adur and Worthing in 2025, by project type (2024-2025 pooled counts for stability).
The roofline and heritage effect
Worthing files dormers at 2.1 times the national rate, loft conversions at 1.9 times, and conservation-area works at 2.3 times. Together roofs and conservation account for more than 1 in 5 of all applications in the area.
The council verdict
A near-certain yes for almost everyone.
The council approved 94.6% of the applications it decided and refused 5.4%, well below the national 12.4% refusal rate. About 1 in 18 applications was turned down. The data covers applications decided across 2024-2025, a pooled window of 1,904 decisions.
About 1 in 18 Worthing applications was turned down.
of decided applications were approved, against a national average of 87.6%. Refusals ran at just 5.4%, about 1 in 18.
Worthing vs The National Norm
A heritage town adding space upwards.
Set Worthing's application mix against the national average and three categories stand out clearly. Conservation-area works reached 4.3% of applications here, 2.3 times the national share. Dormers made up 12.5%, 2.1 times the norm. Loft conversions ran at 5.0%, 1.9 times the national rate. Home extensions were also above average. Demolition ran well below the national share, at 5.4% against 9.1%.
Worthing files conservation-area works at 2.3 times the national rate and dormers at 2.1 times, the planning signature of a heritage town adding space upwards.
Each bar is Worthing's share of applications; the marker is the national share. Conservation-area works and dormers are the town's defining outliers.
Meanwhile, the market
Prices rose alongside the building work.
The work on Worthing's roofs came as values pushed higher across the town.
Worthing's planning data tells a clear story. Permission is unusually easy to win here, with 94.6% of applications approved and only 1 in 18 refused, less than half the national rate. The work itself is concentrated on roofs and conservation areas, with dormers running at 2.1 times the national rate and conservation-area works at 2.3 times. For owners wanting to add space, the odds are strongly in their favour.
Where the numbers come from
Planning Data
Applications submitted to Adur and Worthing in 2025, classified from each application's published description. Shares and rates are computed over the pooled 2024-2025 window (1,904 decided applications) for statistical stability.
Decision Rates
Approval rate is approvals as a share of approvals plus refusals. The national benchmarks are computed the same way across all decided applications in England and Wales.
Sales Data
HM Land Registry Price Paid Data for the Worthing post town, the latest full year's completions, with growth measured against the previous year.
The Real Applications
Open the planning applications behind the numbers.
These are real applications decided in the Worthing area in 2025, from dormers and loft conversions to conservation-area works and a pair of refusals. Open any one to see its full record.
67 Ham Way BN11 2QF
A loft conversion with a rear dormer and front rooflights was permitted, the roofline work Worthing files at roughly twice the national rate.
See this property's full record105 Loxwood Avenue BN14 7RG
Permission was granted for a loft conversion with rear and side dormers and front rooflights, a larger version of the town's most common roof project.
See this property's full recordFirst Floor Flat 55 King Edward Avenue BN14 8DB
A loft conversion with a rear dormer and front roof lights was turned down, one of the roughly 1 in 18 applications the council refused.
See this property's full record2 Central Avenue BN14 0DR
A plan to add a storey and create a two-storey home with a single-storey front extension was refused.
See this property's full record15 Charmandean Road BN14 9LQ
A lawful development certificate was confirmed for a single-storey side extension, the most common project type in the area.
See this property's full record31 Marshall Avenue BN14 0ES
A detached garden annexe for a family member was approved, adding accommodation without touching the main roof.
See this property's full recordCurious about a home in Worthing?
UK Property Looker turns the UK's public property data into clear, free insight: sale history, energy ratings, planning activity and more for every address in England and Wales.