Lewisham Council approves 82.9% of planning applications, based on 25,419 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Lewisham sits 5.4 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,356 decided applications, Lewisham Council approved 83.8% of planning applications in 2025. Across 25,419 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Lewisham is 82.9%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Lewisham council planning portal records · Updated June 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 Lewisham.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 14,975 | 2,707 | 17,682 | 84.7% |
| Full | 5,146 | 1,004 | 6,150 | 83.7% |
| Prior Approval | 843 | 617 | 1,460 | 57.7% |
| Trees | 84 | 0 | 84 | 100.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 25 | 6 | 31 | 80.6% |
| Listed Building | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 4 | 0 | 4 | 100.0% |
| Advertisement | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brockley | 1,707 | 255 | 1,962 | 87.0% |
| Forest Hill | 1,301 | 290 | 1,591 | 81.8% |
| Catford South | 1,180 | 402 | 1,582 | 74.6% |
| Crofton Park | 1,331 | 235 | 1,566 | 85.0% |
| Lewisham Central | 1,280 | 235 | 1,515 | 84.5% |
| Perry Vale | 1,225 | 246 | 1,471 | 83.3% |
| Lee Green | 1,241 | 229 | 1,470 | 84.4% |
| Rushey Green | 1,201 | 257 | 1,458 | 82.4% |
| Telegraph Hill | 1,248 | 206 | 1,454 | 85.8% |
| Ladywell | 1,204 | 244 | 1,448 | 83.1% |
| Blackheath | 1,244 | 191 | 1,435 | 86.7% |
| Sydenham | 1,109 | 255 | 1,364 | 81.3% |
| Grove Park | 805 | 235 | 1,040 | 77.4% |
| New Cross Gate | 856 | 98 | 954 | 89.7% |
| Evelyn | 810 | 103 | 913 | 88.7% |
| Downham | 651 | 240 | 891 | 73.1% |
| Bellingham | 634 | 151 | 785 | 80.8% |
| Hither Green | 435 | 162 | 597 | 72.9% |
| Whitefoot | 355 | 139 | 494 | 71.9% |
| Deptford | 251 | 58 | 309 | 81.2% |
| New Cross | 299 | 2 | 301 | 99.3% |
How Lewisham’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 10.3pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| None Blackheath | Construction of a roof extension in the rear roof slope, together with a single | Approved |
| None Forest Hill | The construction of a single storey rear extension, the extension of an existing | Approved |
| None Downham | Demolition of the existing side extension and construction of a single-storey si | Approved |
| None Ladywell | Installation of replacement flat roof covering, installation of roof lights, alt | Approved |
| None Grove Park | Demolition of existing garage and construction of new outbuilding to the side of | Approved |
| None Hither Green | Replacement of all existing windows with double-glazed uPVC on the front and rea | Approved |
| None Downham | The construction of a single storey rear extension at 550 Downham Way, BR1. | Approved |
| None Grove Park | Construction of a ground floor rear extension at 169 Woodyates Road, SE12. | Refused |
| None Hither Green | The alteration and conversion to provide 2 self-contained flats and all associat | Approved |
| None Ladywell | The construction of a roof extension and installation of a rooflight to the rear | 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 25,419 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 25,419 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 25,419 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Lewisham is 82.9%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 25,419 planning decisions from Lewisham council. 21,085 were approved and 4,334 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.
Writing about planning in Lewisham? 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.