Richmond Council approves 87.6% of planning applications, based on 33,219 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Richmond sits 1.0 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,379 decided applications, Richmond Council approved 96.8% of planning applications in 2025. The average time from validation to decision in Richmond is 8.2 weeks, measured across 29,750 decided applications. Across 33,219 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Richmond is 87.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Richmond council planning portal records · Updated August 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Richmond.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 17,861 | 2,015 | 19,876 | 89.9% |
| Full | 7,509 | 1,453 | 8,962 | 83.8% |
| Prior Approval | 3,736 | 645 | 4,381 | 85.3% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRW | 1,409 | 203 | 1,612 | 87.4% |
| STR | 1,206 | 172 | 1,378 | 87.5% |
| TWR | 924 | 177 | 1,101 | 83.9% |
| KWA | 899 | 125 | 1,024 | 87.8% |
| EAS | 875 | 146 | 1,021 | 85.7% |
| HTN | 793 | 160 | 953 | 83.2% |
| STM | 773 | 144 | 917 | 84.3% |
| HPR | 718 | 165 | 883 | 81.3% |
| BAR | 741 | 131 | 872 | 85.0% |
| TED | 718 | 137 | 855 | 84.0% |
| TRW | 733 | 105 | 838 | 87.5% |
| MBC | 691 | 126 | 817 | 84.6% |
| KWW | 700 | 87 | 787 | 88.9% |
| NRW | 673 | 107 | 780 | 86.3% |
| HMP | 655 | 114 | 769 | 85.2% |
| HWI | 648 | 103 | 751 | 86.3% |
| BRN | 632 | 108 | 740 | 85.4% |
| FHH | 592 | 141 | 733 | 80.8% |
| TDD | 638 | 78 | 716 | 89.1% |
| SMN | 618 | 87 | 705 | 87.7% |
| SOT | 600 | 79 | 679 | 88.4% |
| EST | 555 | 98 | 653 | 85.0% |
| WET | 532 | 115 | 647 | 82.2% |
| HPT | 521 | 95 | 616 | 84.6% |
| HPK | 491 | 77 | 568 | 86.4% |
Showing top 25 of 55 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Richmond’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 10.7pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Richmond council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| PA26/2095 | Construction of a dormer over the two-storey outrigger. | Approved |
| PA26/2007 | Existing use of the property as multiple self-contained flats (2). | Approved |
| PA26/2152 | Demolition of the existing single storey rear extension and its replacement with | Approved |
| PA26/2165 | Alterations to the existing external seating area including new railings. | Approved |
| PA26/2170 | 1no. Illuminated Heart Sign and 2no. non-illuminated mosaic artwork display wall | Approved |
| PA26/1498 | Creation of a front lightwell to serve basement cellar. | Approved |
| PA26/2231 | Single storey front and rear extensions. Conversion of garage to habitable room. | Approved |
| PA26/2290 | Installation of 12 PV solar panels on the existing roof | Refused |
| PA26/2319 | Proposed single storey rear extension 8m in depth, 4m in height and 2.2m in heig | Approved |
| PA26/2738 | Rear dormer roof extension and installation of 3x front rooflights. | 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 Richmond's 33,219 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Richmond's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Richmond'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 Richmond. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 33,219 real decisions from Richmond 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 Richmond'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 33,219 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Richmond is 87.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 33,219 planning decisions from Richmond council. 29,106 were approved and 4,113 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Richmond is 87.6%, 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 Richmond is 8.2 weeks, measured across 29,750 decided applications. This PlanningLens figure is calculated from decision dates published by Richmond council itself, reflecting actual elapsed time rather than statutory targets.
Writing about planning in Richmond? 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.