Dartford planning approval rate
Dartford council approved 87.8% of planning applications and refused 12.2%, based on 7,697 decisions analysed. Ranked 83rd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
87.8%
overall approval rate
7,697
Decisions analysed
6,756
Approved
941
Refused
28
Wards covered
Planning in Dartford? 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 Dartford. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
84.7%
89.4%
91.8%
94.4%
71.3%
74.5%
98.1%
56.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Dartford, mined from 7,697 proposal descriptions.
88.3%
87.6%
89.1%
87.2%
86.2%
90.1%
93.1%
84.7%
89.9%
85.7%
92.1%
85.6%
88.9%
85.3%
69.9%
70.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Dartford. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet
85.3%
Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley
86.5%
Joydens Wood
86.6%
Stone Castle
93.4%
Town
85.9%
West Hill
88.5%
Heath
88.0%
Brent
88.3%
Princes
81.1%
Newtown
83.1%
Greenhithe & Knockhall
89.9%
Swanscombe
87.5%
Maypole & Leyton Cross
91.0%
Bridge
95.5%
Stone House
90.1%
Bean & Village Park
91.0%
Temple Hill
88.6%
Darenth
83.4%
Burnham
81.4%
Ebbsfleet
96.7%
Wards in Dartford
Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet
85.3% approval · 1,034 decisions
Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley
86.5% approval · 703 decisions
Joydens Wood
86.6% approval · 677 decisions
Stone Castle
93.4% approval · 650 decisions
Town
85.9% approval · 625 decisions
West Hill
88.5% approval · 393 decisions
Heath
88.0% approval · 382 decisions
Brent
88.3% approval · 367 decisions
Princes
81.1% approval · 328 decisions
Newtown
83.1% approval · 313 decisions
Greenhithe & Knockhall
89.9% approval · 278 decisions
Swanscombe
87.5% approval · 273 decisions
Maypole & Leyton Cross
91.0% approval · 266 decisions
Bridge
95.5% approval · 244 decisions
Stone House
90.1% approval · 243 decisions
Bean & Village Park
91.0% approval · 211 decisions
Temple Hill
88.6% approval · 210 decisions
Darenth
83.4% approval · 157 decisions
Burnham
81.4% approval · 145 decisions
Ebbsfleet
96.7% approval · 61 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Dartford, showing how the council decides real applications.
Comprehensive mixed-use redevelopment comprising up to 69 residential units and · Town · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Submission of details relating to boundary treatment pursuant to condition 25 of · Town · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Application for a Lawful Development Certificate for proposed erection of a sing · Joydens Wood · Fri 19 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Dartford, 1 in 8 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 Dartford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Dartford →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Dartford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 7,697 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Dartford
What is the planning approval rate in Dartford?
Based on 7,697 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Dartford approved 87.8% of applications and refused 12.2%. The council is ranked 83rd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Dartford?
Dartford refuses 12.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is close to the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 7,697 decided applications since 2020, 941 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Dartford have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Dartford are in Outside Borough Boundary (100.0%), Ebbsfleet (96.7%), and Bridge (95.5%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Dartford?
The most common planning application types in Dartford are: Full (3,413 decisions, 84.7% approved), Other (2,196, 89.4%), and Certificate of Lawfulness (860, 96.5%).
How long does a planning application take in Dartford?
Planning applications in Dartford take an average of 12.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 7,601 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. Dartford decides approximately 1,283 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Dartford?
You can search planning applications in Dartford directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 7,697 historical decisions in Dartford to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Dartford calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Dartford'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.