Dartford Council approves 87.6% of planning applications, based on 7,865 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Dartford sits 1.0 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,120 decided applications, Dartford Council approved 83.0% of planning applications in 2025. Across 7,865 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Dartford is 87.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Dartford council planning portal records · Updated August 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Dartford.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 2,950 | 537 | 3,487 | 84.6% |
| Other | 1,998 | 248 | 2,246 | 89.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 847 | 36 | 883 | 95.9% |
| Trees | 645 | 58 | 703 | 91.7% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 175 | 10 | 185 | 94.6% |
| Change of Use | 102 | 41 | 143 | 71.3% |
| Advertisement | 103 | 35 | 138 | 74.6% |
| Listed Building | 53 | 1 | 54 | 98.1% |
| Prior Approval | 14 | 12 | 26 | 53.8% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet | 900 | 160 | 1,060 | 84.9% |
| Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley | 619 | 98 | 717 | 86.3% |
| Joydens Wood | 594 | 94 | 688 | 86.3% |
| Stone Castle | 624 | 44 | 668 | 93.4% |
| Town | 547 | 90 | 637 | 85.9% |
| West Hill | 360 | 46 | 406 | 88.7% |
| Heath | 340 | 47 | 387 | 87.9% |
| Brent | 332 | 45 | 377 | 88.1% |
| Princes | 271 | 65 | 336 | 80.7% |
| Newtown | 268 | 56 | 324 | 82.7% |
| Greenhithe & Knockhall | 254 | 30 | 284 | 89.4% |
| Swanscombe | 241 | 35 | 276 | 87.3% |
| Maypole & Leyton Cross | 243 | 24 | 267 | 91.0% |
| Bridge | 236 | 11 | 247 | 95.5% |
| Stone House | 220 | 24 | 244 | 90.2% |
| Bean & Village Park | 196 | 21 | 217 | 90.3% |
| Temple Hill | 189 | 24 | 213 | 88.7% |
| Darenth | 133 | 29 | 162 | 82.1% |
| Burnham | 120 | 27 | 147 | 81.6% |
| Ebbsfleet | 64 | 2 | 66 | 97.0% |
| Outside Borough Boundary | 53 | 0 | 53 | 100.0% |
| Joyce Green OLD | 10 | 0 | 10 | 100.0% |
| Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet OLD | 10 | 0 | 10 | 100.0% |
| Bean & Darenth (OLD) | 6 | 1 | 7 | 85.7% |
| Town OLD | 5 | 2 | 7 | 71.4% |
Showing top 25 of 28 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Dartford’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 12.6pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Dartford council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00698/VCON Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet | Demolition of existing garage and erection of detached garage and single storey | Approved |
| 26/00714/CDNA Stone Castle | Submission of details relating to tree replacement pursuant to condition 4 of pl | Approved |
| 26/00702/FUL Newtown | Erection of an outbuilding | Approved |
| 26/00709/FUL Princes | Erection of a two-storey side extension | Approved |
| 26/00697/FUL Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet | Erection of a two storey side and rear extension | Refused |
| 26/00388/FUL Brent | Demolition of the existing garage and erection of a two storey side and single s | Approved |
| 26/00710/FUL Stone Castle | Installation of a mezzanine floor for ancillary retail storage and back of house | Approved |
| 26/00694/FUL Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet | Demolition of conservatory ground floor family room and erection of a single sto | Approved |
| 26/00692/FUL Bridge | Erection of a single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/00686/LDC Not Available | Application for a Lawful Development Certificate for cross boundary application | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Dartford's 7,865 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Dartford's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Dartford's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Dartford. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 7,865 real decisions from Dartford council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Dartford's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 7,865 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Dartford is 87.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 7,865 planning decisions from Dartford council. 6,887 were approved and 978 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Dartford is 87.6%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Dartford? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.