Sutton planning approval rate
Sutton council approved 84.2% of planning applications and refused 15.8%, based on 18,303 decisions analysed. Ranked 39th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
84.2%
overall approval rate
18,303
Decisions analysed
15,411
Approved
2,892
Refused
78
Wards covered
Planning in Sutton? 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 Sutton. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
86.6%
83.0%
72.9%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Sutton, mined from 18,303 proposal descriptions.
80.0%
82.9%
83.0%
79.2%
89.1%
79.4%
78.1%
77.6%
91.6%
81.9%
82.6%
84.4%
84.6%
75.7%
73.4%
79.1%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Sutton. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
A04
76.4%
W05
75.0%
A02
81.5%
C14
81.0%
C13
81.5%
A01
78.0%
A03
76.2%
SUTTON CENTRAL
99.8%
D18
80.2%
E05
80.2%
D17
82.7%
B06
84.0%
E09
80.9%
E06
83.7%
B05
77.6%
W03
82.9%
D15
81.2%
C10
77.2%
D16
78.0%
W10
76.4%
Wards in Sutton
A04
76.4% approval · 590 decisions
W05
75.0% approval · 547 decisions
A02
81.5% approval · 498 decisions
C14
81.0% approval · 469 decisions
C13
81.5% approval · 460 decisions
A01
78.0% approval · 459 decisions
A03
76.2% approval · 458 decisions
SUTTON CENTRAL
99.8% approval · 445 decisions
D18
80.2% approval · 409 decisions
E05
80.2% approval · 393 decisions
D17
82.7% approval · 387 decisions
B06
84.0% approval · 374 decisions
E09
80.9% approval · 361 decisions
E06
83.7% approval · 355 decisions
B05
77.6% approval · 353 decisions
W03
82.9% approval · 340 decisions
D15
81.2% approval · 340 decisions
C10
77.2% approval · 338 decisions
D16
78.0% approval · 332 decisions
W10
76.4% approval · 322 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Sutton, showing how the council decides real applications.
None
Conversion of loft space involving alterations to existing roofline, a dormer ex · The Wrythe · 26/06/2026
None
Prior Approval for a single storey rear extension projecting from the rear of th · Wallington North · 26/06/2026
None
Change of use from Class C3 (Dwellinghouse) to Class C2 (Residential Childrens H · North Cheam · 25/06/2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Sutton, 1 in 6 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 Sutton
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Sutton →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Sutton
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 18,303 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Sutton
What is the planning approval rate in Sutton?
Based on 18,303 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Sutton approved 84.2% of applications and refused 15.8%. The council is ranked 39th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Sutton?
Sutton refuses 15.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 6. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 18,303 decided applications since 2020, 2,892 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Sutton have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Sutton are in XXX (100.0%), SUTTON CENTRAL (99.8%), and THE WRYTHE (99.2%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Sutton?
The most common planning application types in Sutton are: Other (10,178 decisions, 86.6% approved), Full (6,333, 83.0%), and Prior Approval (1,669, 72.9%).
How long does a planning application take in Sutton?
Planning applications in Sutton take an average of 8.3 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 14,692 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. Sutton decides approximately 3,050 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Sutton?
You can search planning applications in Sutton directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 18,303 historical decisions in Sutton to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Sutton calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Sutton'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.