Planning applications in Dover

Planning in Dover

Dover District Council has 103 conservation areas and 1,923 listed buildings, and about a quarter of the 533 recent refusals we read raised heritage. If your home is listed or in a conservation area, expect close attention to materials, windows and anything visible from the street.

Overall the council refuses less often than the areas we cover. It has decided more than 22,000 planning applications since 2016, and about 1 in 10 was refused, against about 1 in 7 across the areas we cover. Next door, Canterbury refuses less often, about 1 in 13, while Thanet is stricter at about 1 in 9.

Home extensions do well. Rear extensions are the biggest category with more than 3,500 applications, and about 1 in 13 was refused. Side extensions are refused about 1 in 15 times and front extensions and porches about 1 in 19. Windows and doors, with more than 2,900 applications, are refused about 1 in 14, and solar panels about 1 in 13. Garden rooms and outbuildings, loft conversions and dormers, and fences, walls and gates are each refused about 1 in 11, in line with the council overall, and all well ahead of the national picture, where lofts, for example, are refused about 1 in 5.

Driveways and dropped kerbs are the hardest project here. About 1 in 6 is refused, noticeably more often than other work in Dover, though still a little better than the 1 in 5 across the areas we cover. If you are planning one, check what has been approved on nearby streets first.

When Dover refuses, the reasons centre on design. About half of the refusals mentioned size, bulk or design and a similar share the look of the street or area. About a quarter raised heritage, about one in five parking, access or road safety, and a similar share building outside towns and villages. About one in nine mentioned not enough information, and about one in seven neighbours’ light, privacy or outlook.

Activity has eased slightly. Dover received 1,713 applications in 2025, against an average of 1,901 a year in the three years before, and the busiest year on record was 2021 with 2,537. The refusal rate in 2025, about 1 in 11, was about the same as in the three years before.

Figures in this section as of 9 October 2026.