Southwark Council approves 93.5% of planning applications, based on 30,692 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Southwark sits 4.9 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 3,280 decided applications, Southwark Council approved 94.1% of planning applications in 2025. Across 30,692 decisions on record (November 1971 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Southwark is 93.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Southwark council planning portal records · Data to 8 September 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 Southwark.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 24,241 | 1,575 | 25,816 | 93.9% |
| Full | 3,972 | 272 | 4,244 | 93.6% |
| Prior Approval | 373 | 148 | 521 | 71.6% |
| Trees | 48 | 0 | 48 | 100.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 27 | 2 | 29 | 93.1% |
| Listed Building | 21 | 0 | 21 | 100.0% |
| Advertisement | 9 | 0 | 9 | 100.0% |
| Change of Use | 3 | 1 | 4 | 75.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duvi | 2,386 | 94 | 2,480 | 96.2% |
| Boba | 2,067 | 164 | 2,231 | 92.6% |
| Gogr | 1,600 | 129 | 1,729 | 92.5% |
| Ryla | 1,517 | 175 | 1,692 | 89.7% |
| Olke | 1,465 | 92 | 1,557 | 94.1% |
| Lbwb | 1,421 | 113 | 1,534 | 92.6% |
| Duwo | 1,312 | 76 | 1,388 | 94.5% |
| Sgil | 1,241 | 90 | 1,331 | 93.2% |
| Nwal | 1,122 | 86 | 1,208 | 92.9% |
| Dulh | 946 | 62 | 1,008 | 93.8% |
| Nuqu | 873 | 113 | 986 | 88.5% |
| Pery | 879 | 43 | 922 | 95.3% |
| Cagr | 794 | 112 | 906 | 87.6% |
| Chhi | 788 | 67 | 855 | 92.2% |
| Nber | 809 | 39 | 848 | 95.4% |
| Sudo | 775 | 46 | 821 | 94.4% |
| Roth | 688 | 68 | 756 | 91.0% |
| Somb | 618 | 37 | 655 | 94.4% |
| Chau | 585 | 64 | 649 | 90.1% |
| Sgeo | 513 | 67 | 580 | 88.4% |
| Cathedrals | 567 | 10 | 577 | 98.3% |
| Fara | 504 | 51 | 555 | 90.8% |
| Pecm | 449 | 51 | 500 | 89.8% |
| Grange | 452 | 6 | 458 | 98.7% |
| The Lane | 335 | 8 | 343 | 97.7% |
Showing top 25 of 65 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Southwark’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 4.7pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Southwark council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| None Sgeo | Demolition of the existing building on site with the retention and reuse of the | Approved |
| None Olke | General refurbishment of the existing building including a first-floor extension | Approved |
| None Ryla | Construction of a rear ground floor side extension and installation of rear door | Approved |
| None Chau | Details of Condition 20 (Wheelchair-user Student Bedrooms) as required by planni | Approved |
| None Somb | Construction of a roof extension and creation of a roof terrace with associated | Approved |
| None Duvi | Addition and replacement of windows, installation of solar panels to roof of rea | Approved |
| None Nwng | For removal of the large single front dormer and the erection of two smaller fro | Refused |
| None Pery | Erection of a single storey two bedroom dwelling on the land to the rear of 54 N | Approved |
| None Pery | Construction of an L-shape dormer extension with 0.3m ridge raise and roof ligh | Approved |
| None Somb | Works to tree with a TCA: T1 & T2 Large prunus trees in rear garden (left hand b | 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 Southwark's 30,692 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Southwark's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Southwark'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 Southwark. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 30,692 real decisions from Southwark 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 Southwark'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 30,692 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Southwark is 93.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 30,692 planning decisions from Southwark council. 28,694 were approved and 1,998 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, November 1971 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Southwark is 93.5%, 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.
Writing about planning in Southwark? 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.