Merton Council approves 86.2% of planning applications, based on 18,193 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Merton sits 2.4 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,666 decided applications, Merton Council approved 83.6% of planning applications in 2025. The average time from validation to decision in Merton is 11.3 weeks, measured across 14,334 decided applications. Across 18,193 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Merton is 86.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Merton 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 Merton.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 9,311 | 1,120 | 10,431 | 89.3% |
| Other | 5,828 | 763 | 6,591 | 88.4% |
| Prior Approval | 545 | 626 | 1,171 | 46.5% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Village | 1,123 | 65 | 1,188 | 94.5% |
| Wimbledon Park | 654 | 32 | 686 | 95.3% |
| Raynes Park | 607 | 59 | 666 | 91.1% |
| Abbey | 620 | 46 | 666 | 93.1% |
| Village_historic | 601 | 51 | 652 | 92.2% |
| Hillside | 597 | 48 | 645 | 92.6% |
| Dundonald_histroic | 549 | 75 | 624 | 88.0% |
| Colliers Wood | 481 | 82 | 563 | 85.4% |
| Wimbledon Park_historic | 505 | 55 | 560 | 90.2% |
| West Barnes | 434 | 112 | 546 | 79.5% |
| Wimbledon Town and Dundonald | 490 | 54 | 544 | 90.1% |
| Abbey_histroic | 439 | 85 | 524 | 83.8% |
| Merton Park | 439 | 84 | 523 | 83.9% |
| Merton Park_histroic | 422 | 72 | 494 | 85.4% |
| Cannon Hill | 391 | 90 | 481 | 81.3% |
| Graveney | 380 | 91 | 471 | 80.7% |
| Raynes Park_histroic | 386 | 56 | 442 | 87.3% |
| Trinity_historic | 379 | 61 | 440 | 86.1% |
| Cannon Hill_historic | 364 | 75 | 439 | 82.9% |
| West Barnes_historic | 383 | 48 | 431 | 88.9% |
| Graveney_histroic | 347 | 74 | 421 | 82.4% |
| Cricket Green | 341 | 67 | 408 | 83.6% |
| Lower Morden | 307 | 69 | 376 | 81.6% |
| Colliers Wood_histroic | 307 | 67 | 374 | 82.1% |
| Longthornton | 283 | 78 | 361 | 78.4% |
Showing top 25 of 49 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Merton’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 2.7pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Merton council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/HOUSE/0859 Colliers Wood | ERECTION OF AN L-SHAPED LOFT EXTENSION. | Approved |
| 25/P3028 Longthornton | DEMOLITION OF EXISTING SINGLE STOREY SIDE AND REAR EXTENSION AND THE ERECTION O | Refused |
| 26/LDCE/1178 Longthornton | APPLICATION FOR A LAWFUL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATE IN RESPECT OF THE ERECTION OF A | Approved |
| 26/HOUSE/0491 Village | Erection of a new brick front boundary wall and gates to replace the existing b | Approved |
| 26/FULL/1160 Raynes Park | ELEVATION CHANGES TO EXISTING WAREHOUSE UNIT. | Approved |
| 26/HOUSE/1162 Colliers Wood | DEMOLITION OF THE EXISTING REAR CONSERVATORY AND THE ERECTION OF A TWO-STO | Refused |
| 25/P2992 Colliers Wood | ERECTION OF SINGLE STOREY REAR/SIDE WRAPAROUND EXTENSION, ERECTION OF L-SHAPED D | Approved |
| 26/HOUSE/0745 Hillside | APPLICATION FOR THE ALTERATIONS,INCLUDING THE ERECTION OF A FIRST FLOOR EXTENSIO | Approved |
| 26/HOUSE/1120 Abbey | Single storey rear extension including 4no. rooflights, 2no. windows and 1no. Fr | Approved |
| 26/HOUSE/1010 West Barnes | ERECTION OF A SINGLE STORY REAR/SIDE AND FRONT EXTENSION.(AMENDED) | 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 Merton's 18,193 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Merton's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Merton'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 Merton. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 18,193 real decisions from Merton 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 Merton'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 18,193 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Merton is 86.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 18,193 planning decisions from Merton council. 15,684 were approved and 2,509 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Merton is 86.2%, 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.
The average time from validation to decision in Merton is 11.3 weeks, measured across 14,334 decided applications. This PlanningLens figure is calculated from decision dates published by Merton council itself, reflecting actual elapsed time rather than statutory targets.
Writing about planning in Merton? 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.