Southwark Council approves 93.3% of planning applications, based on 28,675 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.0%. Southwark sits 5.3 percentage points above the national average.
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 | 22,742 | 1,515 | 24,257 | 93.8% |
| Full | 3,664 | 260 | 3,924 | 93.4% |
| Prior Approval | 354 | 140 | 494 | 71.7% |
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 | 2,190 | 92 | 2,282 | 96.0% |
| Boba | 1,940 | 156 | 2,096 | 92.6% |
| Gogr | 1,510 | 122 | 1,632 | 92.5% |
| Ryla | 1,426 | 170 | 1,596 | 89.3% |
| Olke | 1,367 | 88 | 1,455 | 94.0% |
| Lbwb | 1,289 | 118 | 1,407 | 91.6% |
| Duwo | 1,232 | 76 | 1,308 | 94.2% |
| Sgil | 1,157 | 80 | 1,237 | 93.5% |
| Nwal | 1,046 | 82 | 1,128 | 92.7% |
| Dulh | 898 | 62 | 960 | 93.5% |
| Nuqu | 830 | 108 | 938 | 88.5% |
| Pery | 821 | 39 | 860 | 95.5% |
| Cagr | 736 | 106 | 842 | 87.4% |
| Chhi | 728 | 66 | 794 | 91.7% |
| Nber | 752 | 38 | 790 | 95.2% |
| Sudo | 738 | 46 | 784 | 94.1% |
| Roth | 644 | 67 | 711 | 90.6% |
| Chau | 542 | 60 | 602 | 90.0% |
| Somb | 557 | 38 | 595 | 93.6% |
| Cathedrals | 567 | 10 | 577 | 98.3% |
| Sgeo | 486 | 66 | 552 | 88.0% |
| Fara | 475 | 49 | 524 | 90.6% |
| Pecm | 436 | 51 | 487 | 89.5% |
| Grange | 452 | 6 | 458 | 98.7% |
| The Lane | 335 | 8 | 343 | 97.7% |
Showing top 25 of 51 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 5.5pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 24/AP/2912 Sgeo | Change of use of the 2nd and 3rd floors from Office (Use Class E) to 10 x reside | Approved |
| 25/AP/3182 Chhi | Construction of a single storey rear/side extension with new patio and solar pan | Approved |
| 26/AP/0053 Fara | Details of condition 31 (Future Proofing for District Heating Network) pursuant | Approved |
| 26/AP/0359 Olke | Construction of a single-storey side/rear wraparound extension. | Approved |
| 26/AP/0180 Boba | Details of condition 29 'Cycle Parking' required by planning permission ref no. | Approved |
| 25/AP/3404 Olke | Second floor extension over the existing rear projection, conversion of the loft | Approved |
| 26/AP/0195 Lbwb | Notification of occupation, Paragraph 5.1.3 of S106 agreement 24/AP/1948 | Approved |
| 26/AP/0076 Cagr | Alterations to existing shopfront to provide a new independent entrance to exist | Approved |
| 25/AP/3160 Olke | Replacement of existing single-glazed timber windows and doors (front and rear e | Approved |
| 25/AP/3355 Somb | Retrospective application for the retention of single storey rear canopy. | Refused |
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 28,675 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 28,675 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 28,675 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Southwark is 93.3%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 28,675 planning decisions from Southwark council. 26,760 were approved and 1,915 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Southwark is 93.3%, 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.