Camden planning approval rate
Camden council approved 92.3% of planning applications and refused 7.7%, based on 20,687 decisions analysed. Ranked 163rd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
92.3%
overall approval rate
20,687
Decisions analysed
19,091
Approved
1,596
Refused
85
Wards covered
Planning in Camden? 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 Camden. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
92.9%
89.4%
99.3%
77.9%
97.2%
90.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Camden, mined from 20,687 proposal descriptions.
95.5%
93.2%
85.7%
94.6%
94.0%
90.1%
96.0%
92.0%
92.7%
94.7%
94.5%
91.7%
90.9%
78.0%
92.6%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Camden. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Holborn & Covent Garden (Pre May 2022)
93.9%
Bloomsbury
91.5%
Hampstead Town
93.9%
Holborn and Covent Garden
89.2%
Bloomsbury (Pre May 2022)
90.2%
Belsize
91.7%
Camden Town with Primrose Hill (Pre May 2022)
91.8%
Hampstead Town (Pre May 2022)
94.0%
Highgate
90.9%
Frognal & Fitzjohns (Pre May 2022)
94.1%
Primrose Hill
92.2%
Kentish Town (Pre May 2022)
92.6%
Frognal
90.8%
Belsize (Pre May 2022)
94.4%
Swiss Cottage (Pre May 2022)
96.2%
Regents Park
87.8%
West Hampstead
88.4%
South Hampstead
90.6%
Kings Cross (Pre May 2022)
92.2%
Fortune Green (Pre May 2022)
91.7%
Wards in Camden
Holborn & Covent Garden (Pre May 2022)
93.9% approval · 1,148 decisions
Bloomsbury
91.5% approval · 895 decisions
Hampstead Town
93.9% approval · 850 decisions
Holborn and Covent Garden
89.2% approval · 813 decisions
Bloomsbury (Pre May 2022)
90.2% approval · 788 decisions
Belsize
91.7% approval · 758 decisions
Camden Town with Primrose Hill (Pre May 2022)
91.8% approval · 744 decisions
Hampstead Town (Pre May 2022)
94.0% approval · 605 decisions
Highgate
90.9% approval · 595 decisions
Frognal & Fitzjohns (Pre May 2022)
94.1% approval · 576 decisions
Primrose Hill
92.2% approval · 477 decisions
Kentish Town (Pre May 2022)
92.6% approval · 471 decisions
Frognal
90.8% approval · 459 decisions
Belsize (Pre May 2022)
94.4% approval · 426 decisions
Swiss Cottage (Pre May 2022)
96.2% approval · 416 decisions
Regents Park
87.8% approval · 392 decisions
West Hampstead
88.4% approval · 379 decisions
South Hampstead
90.6% approval · 373 decisions
Kings Cross (Pre May 2022)
92.2% approval · 360 decisions
Fortune Green (Pre May 2022)
91.7% approval · 351 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Camden, showing how the council decides real applications.
2026/2267/T
REAR GARDEN: 1 x Ceanothus thyrsiflorus (T02) - Fel to ground level.
1 x Pyracan · · 2026-06-26
2026/2045/T
FRONT GARDEN: 1 x Magnolia (T1) - Crown reduce 1.75m on all axis. Lift 2.5m. · · 2026-06-26
2025/4006/P
Erection of roof extension to create additional storey to dwelling, replacement · Camden Square · 26/06/2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Camden, 1 in 13 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 Camden
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Camden →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Camden
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 20,687 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Camden
What is the planning approval rate in Camden?
Based on 20,687 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Camden approved 92.3% of applications and refused 7.7%. The council is ranked 163rd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Camden?
Camden refuses 7.7% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 13. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 20,687 decided applications since 2020, 1,596 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Camden have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Camden are in Holborn (pre 2002) (100.0%), HAVERSTOCK (100.0%), and CANTELOWES (100.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Camden?
The most common planning application types in Camden are: Other (16,658 decisions, 92.9% approved), Full (3,029, 89.4%), and Trees (446, 99.3%).
How long does a planning application take in Camden?
Planning applications in Camden take an average of 18.2 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 18,521 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. Camden decides approximately 3,448 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Camden?
You can search planning applications in Camden directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 20,687 historical decisions in Camden to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Camden calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Camden'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.