Southwark planning approval rate
Southwark council approved 93.5% of planning applications and refused 6.5%, based on 30,483 decisions analysed. Ranked 208th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
93.5%
overall approval rate
30,483
Decisions analysed
28,497
Approved
1,986
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.
93.9%
93.6%
71.7%
100.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Southwark, mined from 30,483 proposal descriptions.
96.2%
92.3%
94.4%
94.1%
93.2%
88.8%
94.3%
95.6%
93.0%
91.1%
94.1%
92.7%
94.0%
84.8%
93.2%
94.8%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Southwark. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
DUVI
96.2%
BOBA
92.6%
GOGR
92.6%
RYLA
89.6%
OLKE
94.2%
LBWB
92.5%
DUWO
94.5%
SGIL
93.4%
NWAL
92.8%
DULH
93.8%
NUQU
88.5%
PERY
95.3%
CAGR
87.6%
CHHI
92.1%
NBER
95.4%
SUDO
94.5%
ROTH
90.9%
SOMB
94.3%
CHAU
90.1%
CATHEDRALS
98.3%
Wards in Southwark
DUVI
96.2% approval · 2,454 decisions
BOBA
92.6% approval · 2,214 decisions
GOGR
92.6% approval · 1,722 decisions
RYLA
89.6% approval · 1,681 decisions
OLKE
94.2% approval · 1,542 decisions
LBWB
92.5% approval · 1,516 decisions
DUWO
94.5% approval · 1,374 decisions
SGIL
93.4% approval · 1,319 decisions
NWAL
92.8% approval · 1,199 decisions
DULH
93.8% approval · 1,001 decisions
NUQU
88.5% approval · 984 decisions
PERY
95.3% approval · 915 decisions
CAGR
87.6% approval · 901 decisions
CHHI
92.1% approval · 844 decisions
NBER
95.4% approval · 843 decisions
SUDO
94.5% approval · 817 decisions
ROTH
90.9% approval · 749 decisions
SOMB
94.3% approval · 645 decisions
CHAU
90.1% approval · 639 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
Constuction of a wraparound extension to the rear of the property. · PERY · 13/08/2026
None
Construction of a ground floor single-storey side infill extension and installat · SOMB · 13/08/2026
None
Replacement of all front elevation windows with double glazed timber sliding sas · RYLA · 13/08/2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more 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 30,483 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Southwark
What is the planning approval rate in Southwark?
Based on 30,483 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Southwark approved 93.5% of applications and refused 6.5%. The council is ranked 208th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Southwark?
Southwark refuses 6.5% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 15. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 30,483 decided applications since 2020, 1,986 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 (25,635 decisions, 93.9% approved), Full (4,218, 93.6%), and Prior Approval (519, 71.7%).
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 25,832 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 5,080 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 30,483 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.