Kensington & Chelsea planning approval rate
Kensington & Chelsea council approved 92.5% of planning applications and refused 7.5%, based on 33,223 decisions analysed. Ranked 179th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to November 2025
92.5%
overall approval rate
33,223
Decisions analysed
30,731
Approved
2,492
Refused
37
Wards covered
Planning in Kensington & Chelsea? 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 Kensington & Chelsea. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
93.4%
88.6%
71.1%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Kensington & Chelsea, mined from 33,223 proposal descriptions.
92.2%
89.7%
92.2%
92.8%
86.2%
89.1%
88.9%
90.8%
89.6%
92.3%
92.6%
90.9%
94.7%
86.0%
88.4%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Kensington & Chelsea. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Brompton and Hans Town
93.2%
Campden
91.1%
Royal Hospital
94.2%
Queen's Gate
91.9%
Stanley
93.3%
Holland
91.1%
Norland
91.0%
Courtfield
90.5%
Abingdon
90.9%
Redcliffe
92.1%
Pembridge
91.2%
Colville
90.0%
Chelsea Riverside
90.2%
St Helen's
91.2%
Earl's Court
90.2%
Golborne
91.2%
Dalgarno
94.9%
Notting Dale
91.4%
BROMPTON
97.8%
HANS TOWN
98.5%
Wards in Kensington & Chelsea
Brompton and Hans Town
93.2% approval · 3,893 decisions
Campden
91.1% approval · 2,628 decisions
Royal Hospital
94.2% approval · 2,365 decisions
Queen's Gate
91.9% approval · 2,061 decisions
Stanley
93.3% approval · 2,001 decisions
Holland
91.1% approval · 1,928 decisions
Norland
91.0% approval · 1,861 decisions
Courtfield
90.5% approval · 1,847 decisions
Abingdon
90.9% approval · 1,842 decisions
Redcliffe
92.1% approval · 1,819 decisions
Pembridge
91.2% approval · 1,388 decisions
Colville
90.0% approval · 1,248 decisions
Chelsea Riverside
90.2% approval · 1,025 decisions
St Helen's
91.2% approval · 1,021 decisions
Earl's Court
90.2% approval · 882 decisions
Golborne
91.2% approval · 602 decisions
Dalgarno
94.9% approval · 472 decisions
Notting Dale
91.4% approval · 465 decisions
BROMPTON
97.8% approval · 449 decisions
HANS TOWN
98.5% approval · 262 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Kensington & Chelsea, showing how the council decides real applications.
PP/25/05568
Creation of upper roof terrace; removal and replacement of garage and car lift w · Redcliffe · 21/11/2025
CL/25/06425
Confirmation that the ongoing use of the ground and basement maisonette flat as · Pembridge · 21/11/2025
ARB/25/06208
Prune 1 x Fig (rear) · Stanley · 21/11/2025
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Kensington & Chelsea, 1 in 13 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 Kensington & Chelsea
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Kensington & Chelsea →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Kensington & Chelsea
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 33,223 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Kensington & Chelsea
What is the planning approval rate in Kensington & Chelsea?
Based on 33,223 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Kensington & Chelsea approved 92.5% of applications and refused 7.5%. The council is ranked 179th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Kensington & Chelsea?
Kensington & Chelsea refuses 7.5% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 13. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 33,223 decided applications since 2020, 2,492 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Kensington & Chelsea have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Kensington & Chelsea are in Outside Borough (100.0%), NOTTING BARNS (100.0%), and GOLBORNE (99.3%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Kensington & Chelsea?
The most common planning application types in Kensington & Chelsea are: Other (27,452 decisions, 93.4% approved), Full (5,674, 88.6%), and Prior Approval (97, 71.1%).
How long does a planning application take in Kensington & Chelsea?
Planning applications in Kensington & Chelsea take an average of 8.6 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 29,512 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. Kensington & Chelsea decides approximately 5,537 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Kensington & Chelsea?
You can search planning applications in Kensington & Chelsea directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 33,223 historical decisions in Kensington & Chelsea to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Kensington & Chelsea calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Kensington & Chelsea'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.