Elmbridge planning approval rate
Elmbridge council approved 78.4% of planning applications and refused 21.6%, based on 73,618 decisions analysed. Ranked 10th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
78.4%
overall approval rate
73,618
Decisions analysed
57,689
Approved
15,929
Refused
56
Wards covered
Planning in Elmbridge? 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 Elmbridge. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
80.9%
74.1%
61.6%
66.9%
76.4%
89.5%
63.0%
1.9%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Elmbridge, mined from 73,618 proposal descriptions.
83.6%
76.2%
82.8%
77.7%
88.7%
83.8%
76.6%
76.7%
81.3%
80.1%
72.7%
82.9%
87.2%
80.8%
74.2%
90.3%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Elmbridge. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Esher
80.4%
Oxshott and Stoke DAbernon
81.7%
Cobham Downside
81.0%
St Georges Hill
79.6%
Molesey East
81.3%
Oxshott and Stoke DAbernon Ward
73.4%
Claygate
80.0%
Hersham South
81.0%
Thames Ditton
79.7%
Walton Central
81.6%
Esher Ward
74.9%
Weybridge South
79.3%
Weybridge St Georges Hill Ward
72.5%
Cobham Fairmile
80.7%
Thames Ditton Ward
75.7%
Cobham and Downside Ward
74.1%
Hinchley Wood and Weston Green Ward
74.9%
Oatlands Park
76.4%
Long Ditton
78.9%
Weybridge Riverside Ward
71.1%
Wards in Elmbridge
Esher
80.4% approval · 3,942 decisions
Oxshott and Stoke DAbernon
81.7% approval · 3,844 decisions
Cobham Downside
81.0% approval · 3,184 decisions
St Georges Hill
79.6% approval · 3,140 decisions
Molesey East
81.3% approval · 2,863 decisions
Oxshott and Stoke DAbernon Ward
73.4% approval · 2,857 decisions
Claygate
80.0% approval · 2,634 decisions
Hersham South
81.0% approval · 2,495 decisions
Thames Ditton
79.7% approval · 2,339 decisions
Walton Central
81.6% approval · 2,210 decisions
Esher Ward
74.9% approval · 2,128 decisions
Weybridge South
79.3% approval · 2,013 decisions
Weybridge St Georges Hill Ward
72.5% approval · 1,996 decisions
Cobham Fairmile
80.7% approval · 1,992 decisions
Thames Ditton Ward
75.7% approval · 1,975 decisions
Cobham and Downside Ward
74.1% approval · 1,951 decisions
Hinchley Wood and Weston Green Ward
74.9% approval · 1,810 decisions
Oatlands Park
76.4% approval · 1,804 decisions
Long Ditton
78.9% approval · 1,778 decisions
Weybridge Riverside Ward
71.1% approval · 1,721 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Elmbridge, showing how the council decides real applications.
First floor side extension, front porch canopy and side canopy over existing ext · Esher Ward · 2026-08-14
Proposed construction of single self-build residential dwelling on land to the r · Esher Ward · 2026-08-14
A pair of semi-detached houses with detached garages and associated landscaping · Oxshott and Stoke DAbernon Ward · 2026-08-14
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Elmbridge, 1 in 5 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 Elmbridge
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Elmbridge →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Elmbridge
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 73,618 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Elmbridge
What is the planning approval rate in Elmbridge?
Based on 73,618 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Elmbridge approved 78.4% of applications and refused 21.6%. The council is ranked 10th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Elmbridge?
Elmbridge refuses 21.6% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 5. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 73,618 decided applications since 2020, 15,929 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Elmbridge have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Elmbridge are in Adj Neighbouring Authority (95.5%), Neighbouring Authority (94.0%), and Walton South (82.1%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Elmbridge?
The most common planning application types in Elmbridge are: Full (50,187 decisions, 80.9% approved), Certificate of Lawfulness (6,977, 80.6%), and Trees (6,100, 74.1%).
How long does a planning application take in Elmbridge?
Planning applications in Elmbridge take an average of 8.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 73,536 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. Elmbridge decides approximately 12,270 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Elmbridge?
You can search planning applications in Elmbridge directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 73,618 historical decisions in Elmbridge to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Elmbridge calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Elmbridge'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.