Medway Council approves 88.3% of planning applications, based on 11,155 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. 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 11,155 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Medway is 88.3%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Medway council planning portal records · Updated August 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 | 6,032 | 703 | 6,735 | 89.6% |
| Trees | 1,200 | 130 | 1,330 | 90.2% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1,133 | 172 | 1,305 | 86.8% |
| Other | 612 | 185 | 797 | 76.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 285 | 56 | 341 | 83.6% |
| Listed Building | 302 | 16 | 318 | 95.0% |
| Advertisement | 231 | 10 | 241 | 95.9% |
| Prior Approval | 52 | 36 | 88 | 59.1% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strood Rural | 684 | 77 | 761 | 89.9% |
| River | 505 | 59 | 564 | 89.5% |
| Gillingham South | 449 | 99 | 548 | 81.9% |
| Rainham Central | 440 | 44 | 484 | 90.9% |
| Watling | 417 | 60 | 477 | 87.4% |
| Rainham North | 386 | 56 | 442 | 87.3% |
| Rochester West | 414 | 20 | 434 | 95.4% |
| Gillingham North | 324 | 67 | 391 | 82.9% |
| Peninsula | 343 | 47 | 390 | 87.9% |
| Chatham Central & Brompton | 349 | 35 | 384 | 90.9% |
| Hempstead And Wigmore | 319 | 38 | 357 | 89.4% |
| Strood North | 286 | 45 | 331 | 86.4% |
| Rochester West & Borstal | 307 | 21 | 328 | 93.6% |
| Rainham South | 296 | 31 | 327 | 90.5% |
| Rochester South & Horsted | 282 | 29 | 311 | 90.7% |
| Twydall | 259 | 49 | 308 | 84.1% |
| Rainham South East | 241 | 40 | 281 | 85.8% |
| Hempstead & Wigmore | 235 | 38 | 273 | 86.1% |
| Fort Pitt | 228 | 26 | 254 | 89.8% |
| Strood North & Frindsbury | 215 | 31 | 246 | 87.4% |
| Strood South | 213 | 30 | 243 | 87.7% |
| Walderslade | 199 | 34 | 233 | 85.4% |
| Rainham South West | 196 | 22 | 218 | 89.9% |
| Cuxton And Halling | 184 | 25 | 209 | 88.0% |
| Hoo St Werburgh & High Halstow | 180 | 21 | 201 | 89.6% |
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 3.8pp 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/26/1222 Rainham South West | Construction of a single-storey rear extension and front entrance extension; con | Approved |
| MC/26/1182 Strood North & Frindsbury | Construction of a two storey extension to side with balcony to front together wi | Approved |
| MC/26/1096 Rainham North | Conversion of loft with dormer to the rear, gable end roof and rooflight to the | Approved |
| TPA/26/0801 Rainham South East | T1 Silver Birch - reduce the crown to allow more light into the garden. Lift the | Approved |
| MC/26/1122 Strood West | Construction of a part two storey part single storey rear extension and a single | Approved |
| MC/26/1146 Rainham North | Conversion of existing retail unit to Banking Hub together with installation of | Approved |
| MC/26/1177 Watling | Construction of a garden room and storage building. (following demolition of exi | Approved |
| MC/26/1150 Strood Rural | Enlarging 5no windows, replacement of a garage door with matching window and rel | Approved |
| MC/26/1153 Fort Pitt | Construction of a single storey extension to rear - demolition of existing lean- | Approved |
| MC/26/1108 | Construction of single storey extension to create 2no. golf simulators (Use Clas | 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 11,155 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 11,155 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 11,155 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Medway is 88.3%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 11,155 planning decisions from Medway council. 9,847 were approved and 1,308 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.