Southwark vs Guildford — planning approval compared

How do planning outcomes differ between Southwark and Guildford? A side-by-side comparison based on 35,607 combined decisions.

Last updated: March 2026

Southwark: 92.6%

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

Guildford: 81.7%

16,951 decisions · 13,847 approved · 3,104 refused · 21 wards

Overall approval rates

Southwark (18,656 decided)

92.6%

Guildford (16,951 decided)

81.7%

By application type

Advertisement — Southwark (676 decided)

86.1%

Advertisement — Guildford (295 decided)

84.4%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Southwark (1,157 decided)

91.4%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Guildford (1,726 decided)

75.2%

Change of Use — Southwark (235 decided)

82.6%

Discharge of Conditions — Guildford (2,261 decided)

75.9%

Full — Southwark (3,406 decided)

93.4%

Full — Guildford (8,667 decided)

81.6%

Listed Building — Southwark (907 decided)

90.6%

Listed Building — Guildford (523 decided)

88.1%

Other — Southwark (9,551 decided)

92.1%

Other — Guildford (1,523 decided)

73.8%

Prior Approval — Southwark (86 decided)

69.8%

Trees — Southwark (2,638 decided)

97.8%

Trees — Guildford (1,956 decided)

98.6%

What the numbers mean

There is a 10.9 percentage point difference in overall approval rates between these councils. Guildford 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 Guildford full data