Southwark vs Cotswold — planning approval compared

How do planning outcomes differ between Southwark and Cotswold? A side-by-side comparison based on 34,527 combined decisions.

Last updated: March 2026

Southwark: 92.6%

18,656 decisions · 17,275 approved · 1,381 refused · 23 wards

Cotswold: 95.4%

15,871 decisions · 15,141 approved · 730 refused · 32 wards

Overall approval rates

Southwark (18,656 decided)

92.6%

Cotswold (15,871 decided)

95.4%

By application type

Advertisement — Southwark (676 decided)

86.1%

Advertisement — Cotswold (119 decided)

88.2%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Southwark (1,157 decided)

91.4%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Cotswold (359 decided)

88.9%

Change of Use — Southwark (235 decided)

82.6%

Discharge of Conditions — Cotswold (1,996 decided)

98.5%

Full — Southwark (3,406 decided)

93.4%

Full — Cotswold (6,408 decided)

93.4%

Listed Building — Southwark (907 decided)

90.6%

Listed Building — Cotswold (1,636 decided)

94.6%

Other — Southwark (9,551 decided)

92.1%

Other — Cotswold (870 decided)

86.3%

Prior Approval — Southwark (86 decided)

69.8%

Prior Approval — Cotswold (67 decided)

92.5%

Trees — Southwark (2,638 decided)

97.8%

Trees — Cotswold (4,416 decided)

99.8%

What the numbers mean

There is a 2.8 percentage point difference in overall approval rates between these councils. Southwark 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.

Planning in your area? Don't rely on the average.

Council averages only tell part of the story — approval rates vary dramatically by ward and street.

Get your property-specific risk — free →

See detailed data

Southwark full data Cotswold full data