Greenwich Council approves 78.2% of planning applications, based on 23,270 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 23,270 decisions analysed since January 2020, 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 · Updated August 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 Greenwich.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 13,279 | 2,736 | 16,015 | 82.9% |
| Full | 4,079 | 1,661 | 5,740 | 71.1% |
| Prior Approval | 848 | 667 | 1,515 | 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 | 1,217 | 322 | 1,539 | 79.1% |
| Peninsula | 1,158 | 171 | 1,329 | 87.1% |
| Greenwich West | 1,050 | 132 | 1,182 | 88.8% |
| Shooters Hill | 763 | 280 | 1,043 | 73.2% |
| Woolwich Common | 709 | 216 | 925 | 76.6% |
| Woolwich Riverside | 757 | 137 | 894 | 84.7% |
| Greenwich Park | 733 | 146 | 879 | 83.4% |
| Eltham Town & Avery Hill | 634 | 241 | 875 | 72.5% |
| Abbey Wood | 567 | 208 | 775 | 73.2% |
| Eltham Park & Progress | 622 | 142 | 764 | 81.4% |
| Eltham North | 579 | 180 | 759 | 76.3% |
| Plumstead & Glyndon | 521 | 187 | 708 | 73.6% |
| Eltham South | 531 | 172 | 703 | 75.5% |
| Charlton | 526 | 171 | 697 | 75.5% |
| Mottingham, Coldharbour & New Eltham | 432 | 240 | 672 | 64.3% |
| Greenwich Peninsula | 593 | 48 | 641 | 92.5% |
| Kidbrooke With Hornfair Code | 449 | 156 | 605 | 74.2% |
| East Greenwich | 459 | 137 | 596 | 77.0% |
| Plumstead Common | 435 | 161 | 596 | 73.0% |
| Coldharbour And New Eltham Old Code | 398 | 180 | 578 | 68.9% |
| Plumstead | 413 | 158 | 571 | 72.3% |
| Woolwich Arsenal | 479 | 75 | 554 | 86.5% |
| Kidbrooke Park | 375 | 149 | 524 | 71.6% |
| 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 13.3pp 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 Mottingham, Coldharbour & New Eltham | Construction of a single storey rear infill extension. | Refused |
| None East Greenwich | Replacement of the existing windows with new like-for-like replacements. | Approved |
| None Abbey Wood | Construction of a first floor rear extension and associated works. | Approved |
| None East Greenwich | Replacement of existing windows and doors with new like-for-like replacements. | Approved |
| None Eltham Town & Avery Hill | Construction of a two storey side and part one, part two storey rear wrap around | Approved |
| None Charlton Village & Riverside | Change of use from an existing single family dwellinghouse (Use Class C3) to a 6 | Approved |
| None Plumstead Common | Prior Approval for the construction of a single-storey rear extension which will | Approved |
| None Plumstead Common | Prior Approval for the construction of a single-storey rear extension which will | Approved |
| None Woolwich Arsenal | Erection of a ground floor and first floor rear extension and internal alteratio | Refused |
| None Charlton Village & Riverside | Change of use from a single family dwellinghouse (Use Class C3) to a 6-bed, 6-pe | 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 Greenwich's 23,270 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 23,270 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 23,270 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 23,270 planning decisions from Greenwich council. 18,206 were approved and 5,064 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
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.
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.