Greenwich planning approval rate
Greenwich council approved 78.2% of planning applications and refused 21.8%, based on 23,270 decisions analysed. Ranked 9th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
78.2%
overall approval rate
23,270
Decisions analysed
18,206
Approved
5,064
Refused
47
Wards covered
Planning in Greenwich? 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 Greenwich. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
82.9%
71.1%
56.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Greenwich, mined from 23,270 proposal descriptions.
66.6%
77.4%
67.9%
67.8%
59.8%
76.6%
79.0%
70.5%
57.8%
62.7%
77.5%
78.1%
76.7%
85.5%
49.1%
74.6%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Greenwich. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
BLACKHEATH WESTCOMBE
79.1%
SHOOTERS HILL
73.2%
PENINSULA - NO LONGER EXISTS
84.7%
WOOLWICH COMMON
76.6%
GREENWICH PARK
83.4%
ELTHAM TOWN & AVERY HILL
72.5%
GREENWICH WEST - NO LONGER EXISTS
87.1%
ABBEY WOOD
73.2%
ELTHAM PARK & PROGRESS
81.4%
ELTHAM NORTH - NO LONGER EXISTS
75.0%
PLUMSTEAD & GLYNDON
73.6%
MOTTINGHAM, COLDHARBOUR & NEW ELTHAM
64.3%
WOOLWICH RIVERSIDE - NO LONGER EXISTS
80.2%
GREENWICH PENINSULA
92.5%
KIDBROOKE WITH HORNFAIR CODE
74.2%
EAST GREENWICH
77.0%
PLUMSTEAD COMMON
73.0%
ELTHAM SOUTH - NO LONGER EXISTS
72.6%
COLDHARBOUR AND NEW ELTHAM OLD CODE
68.9%
CHARLTON - NO LONGER EXISTS
70.2%
Wards in Greenwich
BLACKHEATH WESTCOMBE
79.1% approval · 1,539 decisions
SHOOTERS HILL
73.2% approval · 1,043 decisions
PENINSULA - NO LONGER EXISTS
84.7% approval · 1,038 decisions
WOOLWICH COMMON
76.6% approval · 925 decisions
GREENWICH PARK
83.4% approval · 879 decisions
ELTHAM TOWN & AVERY HILL
72.5% approval · 875 decisions
GREENWICH WEST - NO LONGER EXISTS
87.1% approval · 867 decisions
ABBEY WOOD
73.2% approval · 775 decisions
ELTHAM PARK & PROGRESS
81.4% approval · 764 decisions
ELTHAM NORTH - NO LONGER EXISTS
75.0% approval · 712 decisions
PLUMSTEAD & GLYNDON
73.6% approval · 708 decisions
MOTTINGHAM, COLDHARBOUR & NEW ELTHAM
64.3% approval · 672 decisions
WOOLWICH RIVERSIDE - NO LONGER EXISTS
80.2% approval · 648 decisions
GREENWICH PENINSULA
92.5% approval · 641 decisions
KIDBROOKE WITH HORNFAIR CODE
74.2% approval · 605 decisions
EAST GREENWICH
77.0% approval · 596 decisions
PLUMSTEAD COMMON
73.0% approval · 596 decisions
ELTHAM SOUTH - NO LONGER EXISTS
72.6% approval · 583 decisions
COLDHARBOUR AND NEW ELTHAM OLD CODE
68.9% approval · 578 decisions
CHARLTON - NO LONGER EXISTS
70.2% approval · 563 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Greenwich, showing how the council decides real applications.
None
Construction of a single storey rear infill extension. · MOTTINGHAM, COLDHARBOUR & NEW ELTHAM · 13/08/2026
None
Replacement of the existing windows with new like-for-like replacements. · EAST GREENWICH · 12/08/2026
None
Construction of a first floor rear extension and associated works. · ABBEY WOOD · 12/08/2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Greenwich, 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 Greenwich
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Greenwich →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Greenwich
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 23,270 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Greenwich
What is the planning approval rate in Greenwich?
Based on 23,270 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Greenwich approved 78.2% of applications and refused 21.8%. The council is ranked 9th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Greenwich?
Greenwich refuses 21.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 5. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 23,270 decided applications since 2020, 5,064 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Greenwich have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Greenwich are in KIDBROOKE WITH HORNFAIR (100.0%), CHARLTON (97.8%), and WOOLWICH RIVERSIDE (96.3%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Greenwich?
The most common planning application types in Greenwich are: Other (16,015 decisions, 82.9% approved), Full (5,740, 71.1%), and Prior Approval (1,515, 56.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Greenwich?
Planning applications in Greenwich take an average of 12.2 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 20,727 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. Greenwich decides approximately 3,878 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Greenwich?
You can search planning applications in Greenwich directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 23,270 historical decisions in Greenwich to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Greenwich calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Greenwich'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.