Greenwich Council approves 78.2% of planning applications, based on 23,381 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Greenwich sits 10.4 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,976 decided applications, Greenwich Council approved 81.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 23,381 decisions on record (January 1987 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Greenwich is 78.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Greenwich council planning portal records · Data to 8 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Greenwich.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 13,318 | 2,754 | 16,072 | 82.9% |
| Full | 4,108 | 1,669 | 5,777 | 71.1% |
| Prior Approval | 858 | 674 | 1,532 | 56.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackheath Westcombe | 1,222 | 325 | 1,547 | 79.0% |
| Peninsula | 1,158 | 171 | 1,329 | 87.1% |
| Greenwich West | 1,050 | 132 | 1,182 | 88.8% |
| Shooters Hill | 767 | 280 | 1,047 | 73.3% |
| Woolwich Common | 711 | 221 | 932 | 76.3% |
| Woolwich Riverside | 757 | 137 | 894 | 84.7% |
| Greenwich Park | 735 | 147 | 882 | 83.3% |
| Eltham Town & Avery Hill | 639 | 242 | 881 | 72.5% |
| Abbey Wood | 573 | 208 | 781 | 73.4% |
| Eltham Park & Progress | 627 | 145 | 772 | 81.2% |
| Eltham North | 579 | 180 | 759 | 76.3% |
| Plumstead & Glyndon | 524 | 190 | 714 | 73.4% |
| Eltham South | 531 | 172 | 703 | 75.5% |
| Charlton | 526 | 171 | 697 | 75.5% |
| Mottingham, Coldharbour & New Eltham | 433 | 240 | 673 | 64.3% |
| Greenwich Peninsula | 594 | 48 | 642 | 92.5% |
| Plumstead Common | 441 | 166 | 607 | 72.7% |
| Kidbrooke With Hornfair Code | 449 | 156 | 605 | 74.2% |
| East Greenwich | 466 | 138 | 604 | 77.2% |
| Coldharbour And New Eltham Old Code | 398 | 180 | 578 | 68.9% |
| Plumstead | 413 | 158 | 571 | 72.3% |
| Woolwich Arsenal | 482 | 75 | 557 | 86.5% |
| Kidbrooke Park | 384 | 150 | 534 | 71.9% |
| Eltham West | 400 | 116 | 516 | 77.5% |
| Middle Park And Sutcliffe Code | 371 | 133 | 504 | 73.6% |
Showing top 25 of 38 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Greenwich’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 14.0pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Greenwich council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| None East Greenwich | Construction of a single storey side extension together with car parking and lan | Refused |
| None Kidbrooke Park | Demolition of part existing single storey side extension and construction of a p | Approved |
| None East Greenwich | The replacement of the existing windows and doors with new like-for-like replace | Approved |
| None Blackheath Westcombe | Garage conversion into a habitable space, construction of single storey ground f | Approved |
| None Charlton Village & Riverside | Modification to ground floor front facades with installation of brickwork, rende | Approved |
| None Plumstead & Glyndon | Change of use from an existing single-family dwellinghouse (Use Class C3) to a 4 | Refused |
| None Eltham Park & Progress | Demolition of garage structure, erection of a single storey rear extension, loft | Refused |
| None Kidbrooke Park | Retrospective change of use of an approved detached outbuilding from a work- or | Refused |
| None Greenwich Park | Change of use from garage to single dwellinghouse (Use Class C3); replacement ro | Refused |
| None Eltham Town & Avery Hill | Loft conversion with a side pitched dormer, a two storey side and a single store | Approved |
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 Greenwich's 23,381 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Greenwich's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Greenwich'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 Greenwich. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 23,381 real decisions from Greenwich 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 Greenwich'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 23,381 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Greenwich is 78.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 23,381 planning decisions from Greenwich council. 18,284 were approved and 5,097 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 1987 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Greenwich is 78.2%, 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.
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