Dartford Council approves 83.2% of planning applications, based on 4,451 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Dartford sits 1.8 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 4,451 decisions on record (January 2020 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Dartford is 83.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Dartford council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 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 | 2,996 | 548 | 3,544 | 84.5% |
| Other | 2,019 | 255 | 2,274 | 88.8% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 856 | 36 | 892 | 96.0% |
| Trees | 653 | 58 | 711 | 91.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 178 | 10 | 188 | 94.7% |
| Change of Use | 102 | 41 | 143 | 71.3% |
| Advertisement | 105 | 35 | 140 | 75.0% |
| Listed Building | 55 | 1 | 56 | 98.2% |
| Prior Approval | 14 | 13 | 27 | 51.9% |
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 | 914 | 164 | 1,078 | 84.8% |
| Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley | 625 | 99 | 724 | 86.3% |
| Joydens Wood | 601 | 95 | 696 | 86.4% |
| Stone Castle | 631 | 44 | 675 | 93.5% |
| Town | 551 | 93 | 644 | 85.6% |
| West Hill | 370 | 46 | 416 | 88.9% |
| Heath | 344 | 51 | 395 | 87.1% |
| Brent | 337 | 46 | 383 | 88.0% |
| Princes | 273 | 66 | 339 | 80.5% |
| Newtown | 276 | 57 | 333 | 82.9% |
| Greenhithe & Knockhall | 257 | 32 | 289 | 88.9% |
| Swanscombe | 245 | 35 | 280 | 87.5% |
| Maypole & Leyton Cross | 247 | 25 | 272 | 90.8% |
| Bridge | 238 | 11 | 249 | 95.6% |
| Stone House | 222 | 24 | 246 | 90.2% |
| Bean & Village Park | 202 | 21 | 223 | 90.6% |
| Temple Hill | 191 | 24 | 215 | 88.8% |
| Darenth | 133 | 29 | 162 | 82.1% |
| Burnham | 120 | 27 | 147 | 81.6% |
| Ebbsfleet | 65 | 2 | 67 | 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 12.5pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00907/FUL Princes | Demolition of existing front porch and erection of a new porch with first floor | Refused |
| 26/00903/FUL West Hill | Demolition of existing rear extension, conservatory & detached garage and erecti | Approved |
| 26/00728/FUL West Hill | Erection of a single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/00900/FUL Heath | Erection of a single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/00915/FUL West Hill | Re-instatement of two windows on the rear elevation. | Approved |
| 26/00916/LBC West Hill | Application for Listed Building Consent for re-instatement of two windows on the | Approved |
| 26/00883/FUL Heath | Conversion of existing garage into habitable room with associated alterations to | Approved |
| 26/00885/LDC Newtown | Application for a Lawful Development Certificate for proposed loft conversion co | Approved |
| 26/00869/LDC Joydens Wood | Application for a Lawful Development Certificate for proposed loft conversion co | Approved |
| 26/00828/FUL Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet | Raising of the roof height and construction of a first-floor extension to form a | Refused |
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 4,451 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 4,451 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 4,451 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Dartford is 83.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 4,451 planning decisions from Dartford council. 3,702 were approved and 749 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Dartford is 83.2%, 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.