Merton Council approves 86.2% of planning applications, based on 18,043 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Merton sits 2.1 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,667 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 14,182 decided applications. Across 18,043 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Merton is 86.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Merton 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 Merton.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 9,279 | 1,115 | 10,394 | 89.3% |
| Other | 5,722 | 754 | 6,476 | 88.4% |
| Prior Approval | 545 | 628 | 1,173 | 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 | 1,117 | 65 | 1,182 | 94.5% |
| Wimbledon Park | 645 | 32 | 677 | 95.3% |
| Raynes Park | 599 | 58 | 657 | 91.2% |
| Abbey | 611 | 45 | 656 | 93.1% |
| Village_historic | 601 | 51 | 652 | 92.2% |
| Hillside | 587 | 48 | 635 | 92.4% |
| Dundonald_histroic | 549 | 75 | 624 | 88.0% |
| Wimbledon Park_historic | 505 | 55 | 560 | 90.2% |
| Colliers Wood | 474 | 79 | 553 | 85.7% |
| Wimbledon Town and Dundonald | 490 | 54 | 544 | 90.1% |
| West Barnes | 422 | 111 | 533 | 79.2% |
| Abbey_histroic | 439 | 85 | 524 | 83.8% |
| Merton Park | 434 | 81 | 515 | 84.3% |
| Merton Park_histroic | 422 | 72 | 494 | 85.4% |
| Cannon Hill | 376 | 90 | 466 | 80.7% |
| Graveney | 375 | 90 | 465 | 80.6% |
| 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 | 75 | 422 | 82.2% |
| Cricket Green | 335 | 68 | 403 | 83.1% |
| Colliers Wood_histroic | 308 | 67 | 375 | 82.1% |
| Lower Morden | 302 | 68 | 370 | 81.6% |
| Hillside_histroic | 312 | 49 | 361 | 86.4% |
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 3.3pp 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/0668 West Barnes | ERECTION OF A SINGLE STOREY REAR EXTENSION. | Approved |
| 26/HOUSE/0460 Pollards Hill | ERECTION OF A SINGLE STOREY REAR EXTENSION | Approved |
| 26/P0039 Hillside | Single storey ground floor extension. | Approved |
| 26/HOUSE/0718 | CHANGES TO FENESTRATION TO SIDE AND REAR ELEVATIONS | Approved |
| 26/HOUSE/0432 Wimbledon Park | DEMOLITION OF EXISTING SINGLE STOREY GROUND FLOOR EXTENSION, ERECTION OF PITCHE | Approved |
| 26/LDCP/0456 Pollards Hill | Greenwood Road - loft conversion | Approved |
| 26/HOUSE/0661 Village | REPLACEMENT OF THE WINDOWS AT THE SECOND FLOOR LEVEL, INSULATION & WEATHERP | Approved |
| 26/HOUSE/0702 Wimbledon Park | REFURBISHMENT AND EXTENSION OF EXISTING PROPERTY INCLUDING EXTENSION TO THE GRO | Approved |
| 26/HOUSE/0500 Colliers Wood | ERECTION OF A SINGLE STOREY SIDE EXTENSION | Approved |
| 26/HOUSE/0524 Lower Morden | ERECTION OF A SINGLE STOREY REAR/SIDE EXTENSION | 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 18,043 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 18,043 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 18,043 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Merton is 86.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 18,043 planning decisions from Merton council. 15,546 were approved and 2,497 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 14,182 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.