Merton planning approval rate

Merton council approved 85.9% of planning applications and refused 14.1%, based on 17,557 decisions analysed. Ranked 45th out of 221 councils for strictness.

Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

85.9%

overall approval rate

17,557

Decisions analysed

15,089

Approved

2,468

Refused

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.

Full (10,144 decided)

89.1%

Other (6,243 decided)

88.2%

Prior Approval (1,170 decided)

46.6%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Merton — mined from 17,557 proposal descriptions.

Rear Extension (5,617 decided)

81.5%

Loft Conversion (3,839 decided)

89.9%

Dormer (2,346 decided)

88.3%

Garage / Parking (2,106 decided)

88.7%

Side Extension (1,898 decided)

84.9%

New Build (1,232 decided)

87.7%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (1,151 decided)

86.8%

Change of Use (Residential) (1,149 decided)

83.9%

Outbuilding (1,002 decided)

82.8%

Extension (General) (874 decided)

86.6%

Flat Conversion (873 decided)

82.8%

Basement (573 decided)

91.3%

Wraparound Extension (470 decided)

88.5%

Conservatory (288 decided)

93.1%

Front Extension (229 decided)

78.2%

HMO (174 decided)

55.7%

Annex (101 decided)

79.2%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Merton. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

Village_historic (652 decided)

92.2%

Village (625 decided)

91.5%

Dundonald_histroic (624 decided)

88.0%

Wimbledon Park_historic (560 decided)

90.2%

Wimbledon Town and Dundonald (543 decided)

90.1%

Abbey_histroic (524 decided)

83.8%

Merton Park_histroic (494 decided)

85.4%

VILLAGE (487 decided)

98.4%

Raynes Park (449 decided)

88.2%

Raynes Park_histroic (443 decided)

87.4%

Trinity_historic (440 decided)

86.1%

Cannon Hill_historic (439 decided)

82.9%

West Barnes_historic (433 decided)

88.7%

Graveney_histroic (422 decided)

82.2%

West Barnes (404 decided)

74.5%

Cannon Hill (384 decided)

78.1%

Wimbledon Park (379 decided)

93.9%

Colliers Wood_histroic (375 decided)

82.1%

Merton Park (366 decided)

80.9%

Hillside_histroic (361 decided)

86.4%

Wards in Merton

Village_historic

92.2% approval · 652 decisions

Village

91.5% approval · 625 decisions

Dundonald_histroic

88.0% approval · 624 decisions

Wimbledon Park_historic

90.2% approval · 560 decisions

Wimbledon Town and Dundonald

90.1% approval · 543 decisions

Abbey_histroic

83.8% approval · 524 decisions

Merton Park_histroic

85.4% approval · 494 decisions

VILLAGE

98.4% approval · 487 decisions

Raynes Park

88.2% approval · 449 decisions

Raynes Park_histroic

87.4% approval · 443 decisions

Trinity_historic

86.1% approval · 440 decisions

Cannon Hill_historic

82.9% approval · 439 decisions

West Barnes_historic

88.7% approval · 433 decisions

Graveney_histroic

82.2% approval · 422 decisions

West Barnes

74.5% approval · 404 decisions

Cannon Hill

78.1% approval · 384 decisions

Wimbledon Park

93.9% approval · 379 decisions

Colliers Wood_histroic

82.1% approval · 375 decisions

Merton Park

80.9% approval · 366 decisions

Hillside_histroic

86.4% approval · 361 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Merton, showing how the council decides real applications.

25/P1807

APPLICATION FOR CHANGE OF USE FROM B2/B8 INDUSTRIAL TO SUI GENERIS FOOD PRODUCTI · Cricket Green · 15/01/2026

Approved

25/P3090

APPLICATION TO REPLACE SINGLE GLAZED TIMBER FRAMED SASH AND CASEMENT WINDOWS TO · Raynes Park · 15/01/2026

Approved

25/P2278

APPLICATION FOR THE ERECTION OF A REAR ROOF DORMER EXTENSION. · Village · 15/01/2026

Approved

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Merton, 1 in 7 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report 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

Get Merton Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 17,557 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

Wandsworth Lambeth Croydon Sutton Kingston

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