Islington vs Elmbridge, planning approval compared

How do planning outcomes differ between Islington and Elmbridge? A side-by-side comparison based on 123,972 combined decisions.

Last updated: September 2026

Islington: 82.4%

69,305 decisions · 57,085 approved · 12,220 refused · 80 wards

Elmbridge: 80.7%

54,667 decisions · 44,132 approved · 10,535 refused · 56 wards

Overall approval rates

Islington (69,305 decided)

82.4%

Elmbridge (54,667 decided)

80.7%

By application type

Advertisement, Elmbridge (1,697 decided)

76.4%

Certificate of Lawfulness, Elmbridge (6,994 decided)

80.6%

Change of Use, Elmbridge (268 decided)

1.9%

Discharge of Conditions, Elmbridge (3,704 decided)

61.6%

Full, Islington (619 decided)

81.7%

Full, Elmbridge (50,276 decided)

81.0%

Listed Building, Elmbridge (1,035 decided)

89.5%

Other, Islington (84,689 decided)

82.9%

Other, Elmbridge (2,819 decided)

66.8%

Prior Approval, Islington (61 decided)

47.5%

Prior Approval, Elmbridge (867 decided)

63.0%

Trees, Elmbridge (6,127 decided)

74.0%

What the numbers mean

There is a 1.6 percentage point difference in overall approval rates between these councils. Elmbridge is the stricter of the two, which means similar applications may face higher refusal rates there. However, approval rates vary by ward and application type, so your specific situation may differ from the averages.

Planning in your area? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.

Planning professional? PlanningLens runs refusal alerts and evidence packs for any published UK council — see the data services →

See detailed data

Islington full data Elmbridge full data

Check planning approval patterns, Free