Merton planning approval rate
Merton council approved 86.2% of planning applications and refused 13.8%, based on 18,193 decisions analysed. Ranked 59th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
86.2%
overall approval rate
18,193
Decisions analysed
15,684
Approved
2,509
Refused
67
Wards covered
Planning in Merton? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Merton. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
89.3%
88.4%
46.5%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Merton, mined from 18,193 proposal descriptions.
81.8%
89.9%
88.5%
88.7%
85.0%
87.8%
86.9%
83.0%
87.2%
83.0%
91.4%
88.7%
92.6%
79.1%
55.6%
79.2%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Merton. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Village
91.9%
Village_historic
92.2%
Dundonald_histroic
88.0%
Wimbledon Park_historic
90.2%
Wimbledon Town and Dundonald
90.1%
Abbey_histroic
83.8%
Merton Park_histroic
85.4%
Raynes Park
88.8%
VILLAGE
98.4%
Raynes Park_histroic
87.3%
West Barnes
76.0%
Trinity_historic
86.1%
Cannon Hill_historic
82.9%
West Barnes_historic
88.9%
Cannon Hill
80.2%
Graveney_histroic
82.4%
Wimbledon Park
94.5%
Merton Park
80.0%
Hillside
89.3%
Abbey
90.7%
Wards in Merton
Village
91.9% approval · 701 decisions
Village_historic
92.2% approval · 652 decisions
Dundonald_histroic
88.0% approval · 624 decisions
Wimbledon Park_historic
90.2% approval · 560 decisions
Wimbledon Town and Dundonald
90.1% approval · 544 decisions
Abbey_histroic
83.8% approval · 524 decisions
Merton Park_histroic
85.4% approval · 494 decisions
Raynes Park
88.8% approval · 491 decisions
VILLAGE
98.4% approval · 487 decisions
Raynes Park_histroic
87.3% approval · 442 decisions
West Barnes
76.0% approval · 441 decisions
Trinity_historic
86.1% approval · 440 decisions
Cannon Hill_historic
82.9% approval · 439 decisions
West Barnes_historic
88.9% approval · 431 decisions
Cannon Hill
80.2% approval · 430 decisions
Graveney_histroic
82.4% approval · 421 decisions
Wimbledon Park
94.5% approval · 420 decisions
Merton Park
80.0% approval · 400 decisions
Hillside
89.3% approval · 394 decisions
Abbey
90.7% approval · 386 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Merton, showing how the council decides real applications.
26/HOUSE/0859
ERECTION OF AN L-SHAPED LOFT EXTENSION. · Colliers Wood · 03/08/2026
25/P3028
DEMOLITION OF EXISTING SINGLE STOREY SIDE AND
REAR EXTENSION AND THE ERECTION O · Longthornton · 31/07/2026
26/LDCE/1178
APPLICATION FOR A LAWFUL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATE IN RESPECT OF THE ERECTION OF A · Longthornton · 31/07/2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Merton, 1 in 7 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Merton
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Merton →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Merton
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 18,193 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Merton
What is the planning approval rate in Merton?
Based on 18,193 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Merton approved 86.2% of applications and refused 13.8%. The council is ranked 59th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Merton?
Merton refuses 13.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 7. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 18,193 decided applications since 2020, 2,509 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Merton have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Merton are in RAVENSBURY (98.9%), VILLAGE (98.4%), and POLLARDS HILL (98.4%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Merton?
The most common planning application types in Merton are: Full (10,431 decisions, 89.3% approved), Other (6,591, 88.4%), and Prior Approval (1,171, 46.5%).
How long does a planning application take in Merton?
Planning applications in Merton take an average of 11.3 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 14,334 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Merton decides approximately 3,032 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Merton?
You can search planning applications in Merton directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 18,193 historical decisions in Merton to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Merton calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Merton's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.