Bromley planning approval rate
Bromley council approved 81.0% of planning applications and refused 19.0%, based on 36,167 decisions analysed. Ranked 19th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to October 2025
81.0%
overall approval rate
36,167
Decisions analysed
29,303
Approved
6,864
Refused
54
Wards covered
Planning in Bromley? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Bromley. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
80.8%
82.0%
77.2%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Bromley, mined from 36,167 proposal descriptions.
82.3%
79.2%
78.1%
79.0%
79.7%
73.2%
77.1%
80.6%
77.5%
78.4%
84.2%
79.1%
80.4%
74.2%
62.1%
57.8%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Bromley. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
CHIS
84.4%
PETSWK
76.5%
BROMTW
78.8%
HAYCON
80.9%
FARCRT
80.3%
KELEDN
84.4%
WESTWK
84.2%
CLOCK
81.9%
PENCAT
78.1%
ORPTON
79.1%
DARWIN
69.1%
BICK
78.6%
BROCOK
79.3%
CHEPRB
80.8%
BICKSU
76.9%
SHORT
80.8%
COPERS
73.4%
SHORPL
79.0%
BROCOH
80.5%
PLASUN
75.0%
Wards in Bromley
CHIS
84.4% approval · 3,301 decisions
PETSWK
76.5% approval · 2,107 decisions
BROMTW
78.8% approval · 1,725 decisions
HAYCON
80.9% approval · 1,661 decisions
FARCRT
80.3% approval · 1,658 decisions
KELEDN
84.4% approval · 1,515 decisions
WESTWK
84.2% approval · 1,510 decisions
CLOCK
81.9% approval · 1,313 decisions
PENCAT
78.1% approval · 1,288 decisions
ORPTON
79.1% approval · 1,238 decisions
DARWIN
69.1% approval · 1,237 decisions
BICK
78.6% approval · 1,229 decisions
BROCOK
79.3% approval · 1,072 decisions
CHEPRB
80.8% approval · 904 decisions
BICKSU
76.9% approval · 882 decisions
SHORT
80.8% approval · 804 decisions
COPERS
73.4% approval · 802 decisions
SHORPL
79.0% approval · 790 decisions
BROCOH
80.5% approval · 699 decisions
PLASUN
75.0% approval · 639 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Bromley, showing how the council decides real applications.
25/02048/DEMCON
Spring Lodge - Demolition · STMARC · 30/10/2025
24/03326/FULL1
First floor rear extension and roof extension comprising front, side and rear do · BECKCO · 04/07/2025
25/01166/FULL6
Erection of a single storey garden room to rear of garden · PENCAT · 04/07/2025
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Bromley, 1 in 5 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Bromley
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Bromley →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Bromley
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 36,167 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Bromley
What is the planning approval rate in Bromley?
Based on 36,167 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Bromley approved 81.0% of applications and refused 19.0%. The council is ranked 19th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Bromley?
Bromley refuses 19.0% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 5. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 36,167 decided applications since 2020, 6,864 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Bromley have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Bromley are in ADJ_LA (99.2%), CRYSTAL PALACE (96.6%), and BROMLEY TOWN (95.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Bromley?
The most common planning application types in Bromley are: Other (21,870 decisions, 80.8% approved), Full (12,342, 82.0%), and Prior Approval (1,955, 77.2%).
How long does a planning application take in Bromley?
Planning applications in Bromley take an average of 10.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 31,268 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Bromley decides approximately 6,028 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Bromley?
You can search planning applications in Bromley directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 36,167 historical decisions in Bromley to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Bromley calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Bromley's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.