Planning Officers

Planning applications on the Isle of Man are decided by 53 planning officers employed by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA), with an average approval rate of 88.6% across all officers. For larger or controversial applications, the Planning Committee makes the final decision, but officers write the recommendation report in every case.

No, you cannot choose your planning officer. Applications are assigned based on the officer's area of responsibility and specialism. However, you can view each officer's track record and decision patterns on this page to understand how they typically assess applications similar to yours.

An officer's approval rate shows the percentage of applications they have recommended for approval over time. The average across all Isle of Man officers is 88.6%. A lower approval rate doesn't necessarily mean your application will be refused — it may reflect the officer's specialism in complex or sensitive application types.

The officer's report summarises the proposal, lists relevant planning policies, records neighbour objections and consultee responses, and gives the officer's professional assessment of whether the development is acceptable. It concludes with a recommendation to approve or refuse, which the Planning Committee usually follows.

Yes. Most officers develop specialisms over time — some handle mainly householder extensions and residential work, while others focus on commercial, agricultural, or larger-scale developments. Sarah Corlett has handled the most applications with 6,397 cases. Each officer's profile on this page shows what types of applications they typically handle and their decision history.