Dartford planning approval rate
Dartford council approved 87.6% of planning applications and refused 12.4%, based on 7,865 decisions analysed. Ranked 76th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
87.6%
overall approval rate
7,865
Decisions analysed
6,887
Approved
978
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.
84.6%
89.0%
91.7%
94.6%
71.3%
74.6%
98.1%
53.8%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Dartford, mined from 7,865 proposal descriptions.
88.1%
87.2%
88.9%
87.2%
85.9%
90.3%
93.1%
85.2%
89.8%
85.9%
92.4%
85.8%
88.2%
85.4%
65.8%
67.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Dartford. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet
84.9%
Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley
86.3%
Joydens Wood
86.3%
Stone Castle
93.4%
Town
85.9%
West Hill
88.7%
Heath
87.9%
Brent
88.1%
Princes
80.7%
Newtown
82.7%
Greenhithe & Knockhall
89.4%
Swanscombe
87.3%
Maypole & Leyton Cross
91.0%
Bridge
95.5%
Stone House
90.2%
Bean & Village Park
90.3%
Temple Hill
88.7%
Darenth
82.1%
Burnham
81.6%
Ebbsfleet
97.0%
Wards in Dartford
Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet
84.9% approval · 1,060 decisions
Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley
86.3% approval · 717 decisions
Joydens Wood
86.3% approval · 688 decisions
Stone Castle
93.4% approval · 668 decisions
Town
85.9% approval · 637 decisions
West Hill
88.7% approval · 406 decisions
Heath
87.9% approval · 387 decisions
Brent
88.1% approval · 377 decisions
Princes
80.7% approval · 336 decisions
Newtown
82.7% approval · 324 decisions
Greenhithe & Knockhall
89.4% approval · 284 decisions
Swanscombe
87.3% approval · 276 decisions
Maypole & Leyton Cross
91.0% approval · 267 decisions
Bridge
95.5% approval · 247 decisions
Stone House
90.2% approval · 244 decisions
Bean & Village Park
90.3% approval · 217 decisions
Temple Hill
88.7% approval · 213 decisions
Darenth
82.1% approval · 162 decisions
Burnham
81.6% approval · 147 decisions
Ebbsfleet
97.0% approval · 66 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Dartford, showing how the council decides real applications.
Demolition of existing garage and erection of detached garage and single storey · Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Submission of details relating to tree replacement pursuant to condition 4 of pl · Stone Castle · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Erection of an outbuilding · Newtown · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more 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 7,865 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Dartford
What is the planning approval rate in Dartford?
Based on 7,865 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Dartford approved 87.6% of applications and refused 12.4%. The council is ranked 76th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Dartford?
Dartford refuses 12.4% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is close to the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 7,865 decided applications since 2020, 978 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 (97.0%), 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 (3,487 decisions, 84.6% approved), Other (2,246, 89.0%), and Certificate of Lawfulness (883, 95.9%).
How long does a planning application take in Dartford?
Planning applications in Dartford take an average of 12.0 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 7,768 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 1,311 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 7,865 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.