Croydon planning approval rate
Croydon council approved 80.9% of planning applications and refused 19.1%, based on 40,009 decisions analysed. Ranked 19th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
80.9%
overall approval rate
40,009
Decisions analysed
32,381
Approved
7,628
Refused
83
Wards covered
Planning in Croydon? 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 Croydon. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
80.7%
80.9%
83.3%
100.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Croydon, mined from 40,009 proposal descriptions.
81.3%
78.0%
78.3%
79.9%
79.3%
76.2%
81.5%
79.5%
75.0%
77.1%
80.3%
77.9%
50.7%
50.5%
84.8%
71.8%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Croydon. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
PW18
75.2%
SA18
79.4%
CT18
77.2%
FA18
77.1%
SC18
70.7%
CPUN18
82.2%
KE18
77.3%
WA18
79.5%
WT18
73.1%
NP18
75.4%
SHN18
81.6%
BG18
73.2%
POR18
78.3%
WS18
69.1%
NPH18
70.2%
OC18
83.1%
TH18
69.9%
FAIRFIELD
98.2%
ADW18
74.6%
SAV18
79.9%
Wards in Croydon
PW18
75.2% approval · 2,747 decisions
SA18
79.4% approval · 1,705 decisions
CT18
77.2% approval · 1,691 decisions
FA18
77.1% approval · 1,671 decisions
SC18
70.7% approval · 1,577 decisions
CPUN18
82.2% approval · 1,514 decisions
KE18
77.3% approval · 1,453 decisions
WA18
79.5% approval · 1,195 decisions
WT18
73.1% approval · 1,187 decisions
NP18
75.4% approval · 1,176 decisions
SHN18
81.6% approval · 1,094 decisions
BG18
73.2% approval · 1,084 decisions
POR18
78.3% approval · 1,079 decisions
WS18
69.1% approval · 1,053 decisions
NPH18
70.2% approval · 1,049 decisions
OC18
83.1% approval · 1,016 decisions
TH18
69.9% approval · 1,007 decisions
FAIRFIELD
98.2% approval · 990 decisions
ADW18
74.6% approval · 952 decisions
SAV18
79.9% approval · 920 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Croydon, showing how the council decides real applications.
None
Proposed garage conversion to habitable space & alterations to fenestration · SHS18 · 26/06/2026
None
Erection of dormer extension to rear roof slopes and three roof lights to front · SC18 · 26/06/2026
None
Alterations, erection of a rear first floor extension for storage fronting Limes · SE18 · 26/06/2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Croydon, 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 Croydon
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Croydon →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Croydon
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 40,009 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Croydon
What is the planning approval rate in Croydon?
Based on 40,009 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Croydon approved 80.9% of applications and refused 19.1%. The council is ranked 19th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Croydon?
Croydon refuses 19.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 5. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 40,009 decided applications since 2020, 7,628 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Croydon have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Croydon are in SELHURST (98.8%), BENSHAM MANOR (98.8%), and FAIRFIELD (98.2%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Croydon?
The most common planning application types in Croydon are: Other (29,507 decisions, 80.7% approved), Full (8,179, 80.9%), and Prior Approval (2,183, 83.3%).
How long does a planning application take in Croydon?
Planning applications in Croydon take an average of 10.3 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 31,474 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. Croydon decides approximately 6,668 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Croydon?
You can search planning applications in Croydon directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 40,009 historical decisions in Croydon to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Croydon calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Croydon'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.