Southwark planning approval rate
Southwark council approved 93.4% of planning applications and refused 6.6%, based on 30,054 decisions analysed. Ranked 196th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
93.4%
overall approval rate
30,054
Decisions analysed
28,062
Approved
1,992
Refused
72
Wards covered
Planning in Southwark? 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 Southwark. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
93.8%
93.4%
71.8%
100.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Southwark, mined from 30,054 proposal descriptions.
95.9%
92.2%
94.2%
94.1%
93.1%
88.6%
94.3%
95.6%
92.8%
91.3%
94.0%
92.6%
94.4%
84.8%
94.0%
93.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Southwark. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
DUVI
96.1%
BOBA
92.6%
GOGR
92.6%
RYLA
89.3%
OLKE
94.1%
LBWB
92.0%
DUWO
94.4%
SGIL
93.5%
NWAL
92.8%
DULH
93.6%
NUQU
88.3%
PERY
95.4%
CAGR
87.7%
NBER
95.3%
CHHI
92.0%
SUDO
94.3%
ROTH
90.7%
CHAU
89.6%
SOMB
93.7%
CATHEDRALS
98.3%
Wards in Southwark
DUVI
96.1% approval · 2,391 decisions
BOBA
92.6% approval · 2,182 decisions
GOGR
92.6% approval · 1,695 decisions
RYLA
89.3% approval · 1,656 decisions
OLKE
94.1% approval · 1,516 decisions
LBWB
92.0% approval · 1,490 decisions
DUWO
94.4% approval · 1,349 decisions
SGIL
93.5% approval · 1,299 decisions
NWAL
92.8% approval · 1,174 decisions
DULH
93.6% approval · 988 decisions
NUQU
88.3% approval · 966 decisions
PERY
95.4% approval · 904 decisions
CAGR
87.7% approval · 887 decisions
NBER
95.3% approval · 834 decisions
CHHI
92.0% approval · 826 decisions
SUDO
94.3% approval · 811 decisions
ROTH
90.7% approval · 729 decisions
CHAU
89.6% approval · 634 decisions
SOMB
93.7% approval · 622 decisions
CATHEDRALS
98.3% approval · 577 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Southwark, showing how the council decides real applications.
None
Installation of a fire vent and duct, together with the addition of access doors · LBWB · 26/06/2026
None
Construction of a single-storey rear extension, including installation of a para · LBWB · 26/06/2026
None
Listed building consent for a lower ground floor rear extension with associated · OLKE · 25/06/2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Southwark, 1 in 15 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 Southwark
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Southwark →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Southwark
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 30,054 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Southwark
What is the planning approval rate in Southwark?
Based on 30,054 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Southwark approved 93.4% of applications and refused 6.6%. The council is ranked 196th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Southwark?
Southwark refuses 6.6% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 15. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 30,054 decided applications since 2020, 1,992 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Southwark have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Southwark are in PECKHAM (100.0%), EAST WALWORTH (99.6%), and CAMBERWELL GREEN (99.5%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Southwark?
The most common planning application types in Southwark are: Other (25,291 decisions, 93.8% approved), Full (4,137, 93.4%), and Prior Approval (515, 71.8%).
How long does a planning application take in Southwark?
Planning applications in Southwark take an average of 10.3 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 25,402 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. Southwark decides approximately 5,009 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Southwark?
You can search planning applications in Southwark directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 30,054 historical decisions in Southwark to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Southwark calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Southwark'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.