Medway Council approves 88.3% of planning applications, based on 10,932 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Medway is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,491 decided applications, Medway Council approved 88.5% of planning applications in 2025. Across 10,932 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Medway is 88.3%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Medway 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 Medway.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 5,933 | 693 | 6,626 | 89.5% |
| Trees | 1,164 | 124 | 1,288 | 90.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1,108 | 168 | 1,276 | 86.8% |
| Other | 597 | 182 | 779 | 76.6% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 281 | 55 | 336 | 83.6% |
| Listed Building | 294 | 16 | 310 | 94.8% |
| Advertisement | 220 | 10 | 230 | 95.7% |
| Prior Approval | 51 | 36 | 87 | 58.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strood Rural | 670 | 77 | 747 | 89.7% |
| River | 505 | 59 | 564 | 89.5% |
| Gillingham South | 436 | 96 | 532 | 82.0% |
| Rainham Central | 440 | 44 | 484 | 90.9% |
| Watling | 404 | 57 | 461 | 87.6% |
| Rochester West | 414 | 20 | 434 | 95.4% |
| Rainham North | 374 | 55 | 429 | 87.2% |
| Peninsula | 342 | 47 | 389 | 87.9% |
| Gillingham North | 320 | 67 | 387 | 82.7% |
| Chatham Central & Brompton | 337 | 32 | 369 | 91.3% |
| Hempstead And Wigmore | 319 | 38 | 357 | 89.4% |
| Strood North | 286 | 45 | 331 | 86.4% |
| Rainham South | 296 | 31 | 327 | 90.5% |
| Rochester West & Borstal | 291 | 21 | 312 | 93.3% |
| Rochester South & Horsted | 282 | 29 | 311 | 90.7% |
| Twydall | 257 | 48 | 305 | 84.3% |
| Rainham South East | 234 | 39 | 273 | 85.7% |
| Hempstead & Wigmore | 222 | 36 | 258 | 86.0% |
| Strood South | 213 | 30 | 243 | 87.7% |
| Fort Pitt | 212 | 25 | 237 | 89.5% |
| Walderslade | 199 | 34 | 233 | 85.4% |
| Strood North & Frindsbury | 202 | 30 | 232 | 87.1% |
| Cuxton And Halling | 184 | 25 | 209 | 88.0% |
| Rainham South West | 184 | 21 | 205 | 89.8% |
| Chatham Central | 150 | 47 | 197 | 76.1% |
Showing top 25 of 39 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Medway’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 4.1pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Medway council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| MC/26/0819 Rainham South East | Conversion of garage to habitable room with new pitched roof | Approved |
| MC/26/0812 Gillingham South | Retrospective application for the construction of a single storey rear extension | Approved |
| MC/26/0806 Hempstead & Wigmore | Construction of a single storey side and rear extension - demolition of existing | Approved |
| MC/26/0795 Chatham Central & Brompton | Construction of a new block of three flats (1 one bed and 2 two bed) with associ | Approved |
| MC/25/1500 Fort Pitt | Construction of a three storey block comprising of 21 apartments with associated | Approved |
| MC/26/0838 Rochester East & Warren Wood | Construction of a single storey rear extension with new patio area, porch to fro | Approved |
| MC/26/0799 Wayfield & Weeds Wood | Construction of a single storey extension to rear and side (alteration to the ex | Approved |
| MC/26/0800 Luton | Construction of a single storey rear extension and dormer windows to both sides | Approved |
| MC/26/0797 Watling | Construction of two storey rear extension including demolition of conservatory | Approved |
| MC/26/0792 Hempstead & Wigmore | Single storey rear extension and associated modification of fenestration. | 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 Medway's 10,932 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Medway's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Medway'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 Medway. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 10,932 real decisions from Medway 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 Medway'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 10,932 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Medway is 88.3%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 10,932 planning decisions from Medway council. 9,648 were approved and 1,284 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Medway is 88.3%, 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 Medway? 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.