Southwark planning approval rate

Southwark council approved 93.3% of planning applications and refused 6.7%, based on 28,675 decisions analysed. Ranked 159th out of 221 councils for strictness.

Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

93.3%

overall approval rate

28,675

Decisions analysed

26,760

Approved

1,915

Refused

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.

Other (24,257 decided)

93.8%

Full (3,924 decided)

93.4%

Prior Approval (494 decided)

71.7%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Southwark — mined from 28,675 proposal descriptions.

Garage / Parking (5,251 decided)

95.9%

Rear Extension (3,757 decided)

92.1%

Basement (3,459 decided)

94.0%

Extension (General) (2,834 decided)

94.0%

Dormer (2,669 decided)

93.1%

Change of Use (Residential) (2,140 decided)

89.5%

Loft Conversion (2,067 decided)

88.4%

Side Extension (1,731 decided)

94.2%

New Build (1,453 decided)

95.5%

Outbuilding (1,098 decided)

92.9%

Flat Conversion (824 decided)

91.1%

Wraparound Extension (398 decided)

93.7%

Conservatory (244 decided)

92.2%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (171 decided)

94.7%

HMO (157 decided)

84.1%

Annex (114 decided)

93.9%

Front Extension (110 decided)

92.7%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Southwark. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

DUVI (2,282 decided)

96.0%

BOBA (2,096 decided)

92.6%

GOGR (1,632 decided)

92.5%

RYLA (1,596 decided)

89.3%

OLKE (1,455 decided)

94.0%

LBWB (1,407 decided)

91.6%

DUWO (1,308 decided)

94.2%

SGIL (1,237 decided)

93.5%

NWAL (1,128 decided)

92.7%

DULH (960 decided)

93.5%

NUQU (938 decided)

88.5%

PERY (860 decided)

95.5%

CAGR (842 decided)

87.4%

CHHI (794 decided)

91.7%

NBER (790 decided)

95.2%

SUDO (784 decided)

94.1%

ROTH (711 decided)

90.6%

CHAU (602 decided)

90.0%

SOMB (595 decided)

93.6%

CATHEDRALS (577 decided)

98.3%

Wards in Southwark

DUVI

96.0% approval · 2,282 decisions

BOBA

92.6% approval · 2,096 decisions

GOGR

92.5% approval · 1,632 decisions

RYLA

89.3% approval · 1,596 decisions

OLKE

94.0% approval · 1,455 decisions

LBWB

91.6% approval · 1,407 decisions

DUWO

94.2% approval · 1,308 decisions

SGIL

93.5% approval · 1,237 decisions

NWAL

92.7% approval · 1,128 decisions

DULH

93.5% approval · 960 decisions

NUQU

88.5% approval · 938 decisions

PERY

95.5% approval · 860 decisions

CAGR

87.4% approval · 842 decisions

CHHI

91.7% approval · 794 decisions

NBER

95.2% approval · 790 decisions

SUDO

94.1% approval · 784 decisions

ROTH

90.6% approval · 711 decisions

CHAU

90.0% approval · 602 decisions

SOMB

93.6% approval · 595 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.

24/AP/2912

Change of use of the 2nd and 3rd floors from Office (Use Class E) to 10 x reside · SGEO · 09/03/2026

Approved

25/AP/3182

Construction of a single storey rear/side extension with new patio and solar pan · CHHI · 09/03/2026

Approved

26/AP/0053

Details of condition 31 (Future Proofing for District Heating Network) pursuant · FARA · 09/03/2026

Approved

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Southwark, 1 in 15 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report 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

Get Southwark Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 28,675 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

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