Southwark Council approves 93.0% of planning applications, based on 23,560 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Southwark sits 8.0 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 23,560 decisions on record (November 1971 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Southwark is 93.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Southwark council planning portal records · Data to 28 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 | 24,390 | 1,591 | 25,981 | 93.9% |
| Full | 3,999 | 276 | 4,275 | 93.5% |
| Prior Approval | 376 | 148 | 524 | 71.8% |
| 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 | 2,403 | 97 | 2,500 | 96.1% |
| Boba | 2,083 | 165 | 2,248 | 92.7% |
| Gogr | 1,612 | 129 | 1,741 | 92.6% |
| Ryla | 1,524 | 177 | 1,701 | 89.6% |
| Olke | 1,476 | 92 | 1,568 | 94.1% |
| Lbwb | 1,436 | 113 | 1,549 | 92.7% |
| Duwo | 1,326 | 77 | 1,403 | 94.5% |
| Sgil | 1,250 | 90 | 1,340 | 93.3% |
| Nwal | 1,130 | 87 | 1,217 | 92.9% |
| Dulh | 949 | 62 | 1,011 | 93.9% |
| Nuqu | 878 | 113 | 991 | 88.6% |
| Pery | 883 | 43 | 926 | 95.4% |
| Cagr | 800 | 114 | 914 | 87.5% |
| Chhi | 795 | 68 | 863 | 92.1% |
| Nber | 823 | 39 | 862 | 95.5% |
| Sudo | 778 | 46 | 824 | 94.4% |
| Roth | 691 | 68 | 759 | 91.0% |
| Somb | 625 | 39 | 664 | 94.1% |
| Chau | 590 | 66 | 656 | 89.9% |
| Sgeo | 517 | 67 | 584 | 88.5% |
| Cathedrals | 567 | 10 | 577 | 98.3% |
| Fara | 509 | 53 | 562 | 90.6% |
| Pecm | 452 | 53 | 505 | 89.5% |
| 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 5.1pp 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 Olke | Details of Condition 31 'Parking Management Plan' required by planning permissio | Approved |
| None Lbwb | Replacement of existing doors and timber windows with double-glazed timber windo | Approved |
| None Gogr | Construction of an L-shaped rear dormer extension, together with raising the rid | Approved |
| None Nuqu | Construction of a single storey side extension at ground floor and the construct | Approved |
| None Somb | Renewal of all windows | Approved |
| None Gogr | Works to tree with a TCA: T1- 12m Willow in rear garden of 28 The gardens, 30% r | Approved |
| None Boba | Extension of existing top floor flat into the terrace, erection of a dormer to t | Approved |
| None Olke | Demolition of the existing buildings and redevelopment of the site to provide a | Approved |
| None Olke | Two storey side extension, single storey rear extension and loft dormer extensio | Approved |
| None Ryla | Construction of a single storey rear extension to the existing flat at first flo | 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 23,560 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 23,560 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 23,560 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Southwark is 93.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 23,560 planning decisions from Southwark council. 21,918 were approved and 1,642 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, November 1971 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Southwark is 93.0%, 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.