Greenwich Council approves 73.5% of planning applications, based on 14,789 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Greenwich sits 11.5 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 14,789 decisions on record (January 1987 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Greenwich is 73.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Greenwich council planning portal records · Data to 28 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 | 13,356 | 2,762 | 16,118 | 82.9% |
| Full | 4,134 | 1,676 | 5,810 | 71.2% |
| Prior Approval | 865 | 676 | 1,541 | 56.1% |
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 | 1,226 | 326 | 1,552 | 79.0% |
| Peninsula | 1,158 | 171 | 1,329 | 87.1% |
| Greenwich West | 1,050 | 132 | 1,182 | 88.8% |
| Shooters Hill | 770 | 281 | 1,051 | 73.3% |
| Woolwich Common | 713 | 221 | 934 | 76.3% |
| Woolwich Riverside | 757 | 137 | 894 | 84.7% |
| Eltham Town & Avery Hill | 646 | 243 | 889 | 72.7% |
| Greenwich Park | 740 | 148 | 888 | 83.3% |
| Abbey Wood | 576 | 208 | 784 | 73.5% |
| Eltham Park & Progress | 634 | 145 | 779 | 81.4% |
| Eltham North | 579 | 180 | 759 | 76.3% |
| Plumstead & Glyndon | 527 | 192 | 719 | 73.3% |
| Eltham South | 531 | 172 | 703 | 75.5% |
| Charlton | 526 | 171 | 697 | 75.5% |
| Mottingham, Coldharbour & New Eltham | 436 | 242 | 678 | 64.3% |
| Greenwich Peninsula | 596 | 48 | 644 | 92.5% |
| Plumstead Common | 445 | 166 | 611 | 72.8% |
| East Greenwich | 469 | 139 | 608 | 77.1% |
| Kidbrooke With Hornfair Code | 449 | 156 | 605 | 74.2% |
| Coldharbour And New Eltham Old Code | 398 | 180 | 578 | 68.9% |
| Plumstead | 413 | 158 | 571 | 72.3% |
| Woolwich Arsenal | 485 | 76 | 561 | 86.5% |
| Kidbrooke Park | 390 | 152 | 542 | 72.0% |
| 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 Greenwich Park | Replacement of the existing roof with like-for-like slate tiles, including assoc | Approved |
| None Eltham Park & Progress | Demolition of the existing outbuilding and construction of a single-storey outbu | Approved |
| None Eltham Town & Avery Hill | Demolition of the existing garage and construction of a two-storey side extensio | Approved |
| None Woolwich Arsenal | Change of use from beauty salon (use class E) to takeaway (sui generis). | Refused |
| None Plumstead Common | Prior Approval for the construction of a single-storey rear extension which will | Approved |
| None Kidbrooke Park | Prior Approval for the construction of a single-storey rear extension which will | Refused |
| None Shooters Hill | Installation of substation and associated brick wall. | Approved |
| None Woolwich Dockyard | Replacement of existing vehicle and pedestrian gates, new fencing, associated ac | Approved |
| None Eltham Park & Progress | Removal of the front garden tree; installation of a sedum green roof to the exis | Approved |
| None Kidbrooke Park | Prior Approval for the construction of a single storey rear infill extension whi | 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 14,789 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 14,789 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 14,789 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Greenwich is 73.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 14,789 planning decisions from Greenwich council. 10,872 were approved and 3,917 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 1987 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Greenwich is 73.5%, 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 Greenwich? 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.