City of London planning approval rate
City of London council approved 98.8% of planning applications and refused 1.2%, based on 10,663 decisions analysed. Ranked 284th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
98.8%
overall approval rate
10,663
Decisions analysed
10,536
Approved
127
Refused
51
Wards covered
Planning in City of London? 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 City of London. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
98.9%
76.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in City of London, mined from 10,663 proposal descriptions.
99.0%
99.1%
98.5%
98.1%
99.4%
97.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within City of London. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
BP
98.3%
FN
98.7%
FT
99.3%
CB
99.2%
CM
98.5%
TW
98.6%
AG
98.8%
CG
99.3%
LM
99.7%
CP
97.9%
FARRINGDON WITHOUT
100.0%
BS
100.0%
BG
99.3%
CH
98.0%
BD
98.8%
CK
98.3%
LB
99.0%
WB
100.0%
AT
100.0%
BR
95.1%
Wards in City of London
BP
98.3% approval · 936 decisions
FN
98.7% approval · 920 decisions
FT
99.3% approval · 857 decisions
CB
99.2% approval · 831 decisions
CM
98.5% approval · 686 decisions
TW
98.6% approval · 561 decisions
AG
98.8% approval · 433 decisions
CG
99.3% approval · 431 decisions
LM
99.7% approval · 347 decisions
CP
97.9% approval · 335 decisions
FARRINGDON WITHOUT
100.0% approval · 311 decisions
BS
100.0% approval · 289 decisions
BG
99.3% approval · 279 decisions
CH
98.0% approval · 251 decisions
BD
98.8% approval · 248 decisions
CK
98.3% approval · 231 decisions
LB
99.0% approval · 195 decisions
WB
100.0% approval · 195 decisions
AT
100.0% approval · 171 decisions
BR
95.1% approval · 164 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in City of London, showing how the council decides real applications.
23/01093/FULL
Change of Use from office use E(g) to dual use office E(g) & education (professi · FN · 19/08/2026
25/01397/LBC
External alterations comprising of (i) the installation of signage; (ii) the ins · WB · 19/08/2026
26/00733/LBC
Works to external lighting (including part re-lamping and part replacement of ot · LM · 17/08/2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In City of London, 1 in 83 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 City of London
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for City of London →
✓ Common refusal reasons in City of London
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 10,663 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in City of London
What is the planning approval rate in City of London?
Based on 10,663 planning decisions analysed since 2020, City of London approved 98.8% of applications and refused 1.2%. The council is ranked 284th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in City of London?
City of London refuses 1.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 83. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 10,663 decided applications since 2020, 127 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of City of London have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in City of London are in AT (100.0%), BS (100.0%), and WB (100.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in City of London?
The most common planning application types in City of London are: Other (10,620 decisions, 98.9% approved), Prior Approval (43 decisions, 76.7% approved).
How long does a planning application take in City of London?
Planning applications in City of London take an average of 16.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 9,023 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. City of London decides approximately 1,777 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in City of London?
You can search planning applications in City of London directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 10,663 historical decisions in City of London to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for City of London calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes City of London'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.