Newham vs Southwark — planning approval compared

How do planning outcomes differ between Newham and Southwark? A side-by-side comparison based on 18,213 combined decisions.

Last updated: February 2026

Newham: 81.8%

9,620 decisions · 7,873 approved · 1,747 refused · 28 wards

Southwark: 93.3%

8,593 decisions · 8,018 approved · 575 refused · 23 wards

Overall approval rates

Newham (9,620 decided)

81.8%

Southwark (8,593 decided)

93.3%

By application type

Advertisement — Newham (300 decided)

92.0%

Advertisement — Southwark (315 decided)

87.6%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Newham (1,618 decided)

74.7%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Southwark (546 decided)

94.0%

Change of Use — Newham (554 decided)

75.3%

Change of Use — Southwark (147 decided)

81.6%

Discharge of Conditions — Newham (205 decided)

94.1%

Full — Newham (4,347 decided)

77.9%

Full — Southwark (1,620 decided)

94.4%

Listed Building — Newham (32 decided)

96.9%

Listed Building — Southwark (420 decided)

90.5%

Other — Newham (2,221 decided)

94.9%

Other — Southwark (4,378 decided)

92.9%

Prior Approval — Newham (119 decided)

38.7%

Prior Approval — Southwark (42 decided)

66.7%

Trees — Newham (224 decided)

92.0%

Trees — Southwark (1,125 decided)

98.1%

What the numbers mean

There is a 11.5 percentage point difference in overall approval rates between these councils. Newham is the stricter of the two, which means similar applications may face higher refusal risk there. However, approval rates vary by ward and application type, so your specific situation may differ from the averages.

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See detailed data

Newham full data Southwark full data