Croydon planning approval rate
Croydon council approved 81.3% of planning applications and refused 18.7%, based on 40,612 decisions analysed. Ranked 21st out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
81.3%
overall approval rate
40,612
Decisions analysed
33,013
Approved
7,599
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.
81.2%
80.9%
83.4%
100.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Croydon, mined from 40,612 proposal descriptions.
81.4%
78.6%
78.7%
80.1%
79.5%
76.5%
81.8%
79.9%
75.5%
77.3%
80.3%
78.1%
52.9%
52.8%
84.9%
72.3%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Croydon. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
PW18
75.7%
SA18
79.8%
CT18
77.6%
FA18
78.4%
SC18
71.7%
CPUN18
82.4%
KE18
77.7%
WA18
80.3%
WT18
73.6%
NP18
75.9%
BG18
74.2%
SHN18
82.2%
POR18
78.7%
WS18
69.6%
NPH18
70.3%
OC18
83.1%
TH18
70.7%
FAIRFIELD
98.2%
ADW18
75.2%
SN18
76.5%
Wards in Croydon
PW18
75.7% approval · 2,792 decisions
SA18
79.8% approval · 1,730 decisions
CT18
77.6% approval · 1,727 decisions
FA18
78.4% approval · 1,715 decisions
SC18
71.7% approval · 1,625 decisions
CPUN18
82.4% approval · 1,542 decisions
KE18
77.7% approval · 1,482 decisions
WA18
80.3% approval · 1,214 decisions
WT18
73.6% approval · 1,210 decisions
NP18
75.9% approval · 1,193 decisions
BG18
74.2% approval · 1,121 decisions
SHN18
82.2% approval · 1,117 decisions
POR18
78.7% approval · 1,089 decisions
WS18
69.6% approval · 1,073 decisions
NPH18
70.3% approval · 1,067 decisions
OC18
83.1% approval · 1,035 decisions
TH18
70.7% approval · 1,021 decisions
FAIRFIELD
98.2% approval · 990 decisions
ADW18
75.2% approval · 977 decisions
SN18
76.5% approval · 939 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Croydon, showing how the council decides real applications.
None
Erection of one additional storey to provide 3no. self-contained flats and addit · NPH18 · 13/08/2026
None
Demolition of the existing detached house and redevelopment of the site to provi · NPH18 · 13/08/2026
None
Alterations, demolition of existing garage, erection of hip to gable, two-storey · CPUN18 · 13/08/2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more 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 40,612 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Croydon
What is the planning approval rate in Croydon?
Based on 40,612 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Croydon approved 81.3% of applications and refused 18.7%. The council is ranked 21st out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Croydon?
Croydon refuses 18.7% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 5. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 40,612 decided applications since 2020, 7,599 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 O (100.0%), SELHURST (98.8%), and BENSHAM MANOR (98.8%). 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 (29,998 decisions, 81.2% approved), Full (8,268, 80.9%), and Prior Approval (2,206, 83.4%).
How long does a planning application take in Croydon?
Planning applications in Croydon take an average of 10.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 32,037 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 6,769 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 40,612 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.