Lewisham Council approves 82.9% of planning applications, based on 24,367 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.0%. Lewisham sits 5.1 percentage points below the national average.
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 Lewisham.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 14,616 | 2,632 | 17,248 | 84.7% |
| Full | 4,755 | 950 | 5,705 | 83.3% |
| Prior Approval | 821 | 593 | 1,414 | 58.1% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brockley | 1,648 | 244 | 1,892 | 87.1% |
| Catford South | 1,127 | 383 | 1,510 | 74.6% |
| Forest Hill | 1,235 | 273 | 1,508 | 81.9% |
| Crofton Park | 1,270 | 228 | 1,498 | 84.8% |
| Lewisham Central | 1,254 | 233 | 1,487 | 84.3% |
| Perry Vale | 1,179 | 234 | 1,413 | 83.4% |
| Lee Green | 1,178 | 222 | 1,400 | 84.1% |
| Telegraph Hill | 1,196 | 200 | 1,396 | 85.7% |
| Ladywell | 1,136 | 238 | 1,374 | 82.7% |
| Rushey Green | 1,124 | 245 | 1,369 | 82.1% |
| Blackheath | 1,174 | 188 | 1,362 | 86.2% |
| Sydenham | 1,060 | 253 | 1,313 | 80.7% |
| Grove Park | 773 | 225 | 998 | 77.5% |
| New Cross Gate | 844 | 97 | 941 | 89.7% |
| Evelyn | 789 | 101 | 890 | 88.7% |
| Downham | 623 | 228 | 851 | 73.2% |
| Bellingham | 615 | 144 | 759 | 81.0% |
| Hither Green | 380 | 150 | 530 | 71.7% |
| Whitefoot | 355 | 139 | 494 | 71.9% |
| New Cross | 299 | 2 | 301 | 99.3% |
| Deptford | 230 | 49 | 279 | 82.4% |
How Lewisham’s planning approval rate has changed year by year — down 11.4pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Lewisham council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| DC/25/142285 Crofton Park | The installation of replacement PVCu windows to the front and rear elevations at | Approved |
| DC/25/142181 Bellingham | Construction of a detached, one-bedroom, single storey plus roofspace chalet bun | Approved |
| DC/25/142058 Blackheath | The installation of replacement double glazed uPVC casement windows and sliding | Approved |
| DC/25/141252 Sydenham | Alterations and conversion of 357-359 Sydenham Road SE26, change of use of vacan | Refused |
| DC/25/140660 Telegraph Hill | Part demolition and change of use of existing live-work premises (Sui Generis) t | Approved |
| DC/25/142287 Hither Green | Construction of a single-storey rear extension at 49 Minard Road, SE6. | Approved |
| DC/25/142073 Forest Hill | Construction of a single-storey rear extension and all associated works at 25 Ne | Approved |
| DC/25/142144 Catford South | Construction of a dormer roof extension to the rear outrigger, installation of a | Approved |
| DC/25/141946 Brockley | An application for listed building consent for internal and external alterations | Approved |
| DC/25/142054 Crofton Park | Construction of a roof extension in the rear roof slope together with the partia | 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 Lewisham's 24,367 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Lewisham's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Lewisham'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 Lewisham. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 24,367 real decisions from Lewisham 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 Lewisham'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 24,367 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Lewisham is 82.9%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 24,367 planning decisions from Lewisham council. 20,192 were approved and 4,175 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Lewisham is 82.9%, 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.