Dartford planning approval rate
Dartford council approved 87.6% of planning applications and refused 12.4%, based on 7,829 decisions analysed. Ranked 77th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
87.6%
overall approval rate
7,829
Decisions analysed
6,861
Approved
968
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%
89.1%
91.7%
94.5%
71.3%
74.6%
98.1%
56.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Dartford, mined from 7,829 proposal descriptions.
88.2%
87.2%
89.1%
87.3%
86.1%
90.2%
93.1%
85.1%
89.7%
85.9%
92.4%
85.8%
89.1%
85.4%
66.7%
67.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Dartford. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet
85.0%
Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley
86.4%
Joydens Wood
86.4%
Stone Castle
93.4%
Town
86.1%
West Hill
88.9%
Heath
87.9%
Brent
88.0%
Princes
80.5%
Newtown
83.1%
Greenhithe & Knockhall
89.8%
Swanscombe
87.3%
Maypole & Leyton Cross
91.0%
Bridge
95.5%
Stone House
90.1%
Bean & Village Park
90.3%
Temple Hill
88.7%
Darenth
82.0%
Burnham
81.6%
Ebbsfleet
96.9%
Wards in Dartford
Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet
85.0% approval · 1,055 decisions
Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley
86.4% approval · 715 decisions
Joydens Wood
86.4% approval · 685 decisions
Stone Castle
93.4% approval · 662 decisions
Town
86.1% approval · 635 decisions
West Hill
88.9% approval · 404 decisions
Heath
87.9% approval · 387 decisions
Brent
88.0% approval · 375 decisions
Princes
80.5% approval · 334 decisions
Newtown
83.1% approval · 320 decisions
Greenhithe & Knockhall
89.8% approval · 283 decisions
Swanscombe
87.3% approval · 276 decisions
Maypole & Leyton Cross
91.0% approval · 267 decisions
Bridge
95.5% approval · 246 decisions
Stone House
90.1% approval · 243 decisions
Bean & Village Park
90.3% approval · 216 decisions
Temple Hill
88.7% approval · 213 decisions
Darenth
82.0% approval · 161 decisions
Burnham
81.6% approval · 147 decisions
Ebbsfleet
96.9% approval · 65 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Dartford, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of a front porch to replace existing front porch · Newtown · Wed 05 Aug 2026
Erection of front porch and installation of balustrade to the existing steps · Burnham · Wed 05 Aug 2026
Alterations to the ground and first floor fenestration, and relocation of the ma · Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet · Wed 05 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 7,829 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Dartford
What is the planning approval rate in Dartford?
Based on 7,829 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Dartford approved 87.6% of applications and refused 12.4%. The council is ranked 77th 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 7,829 decided applications since 2020, 968 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 (96.9%), 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 (3,474 decisions, 84.6% approved), Other (2,234, 89.1%), and Certificate of Lawfulness (878, 96.1%).
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 7,732 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 1,305 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 7,829 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.