Tonbridge & Malling Council approves 90.3% of planning applications, based on 8,429 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Tonbridge & Malling sits 2.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,416 decided applications, Tonbridge & Malling Council approved 94.1% of planning applications in 2025. Across 8,429 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Tonbridge & Malling is 90.3%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Tonbridge & Malling council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Tonbridge & Malling.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 5,595 | 581 | 6,176 | 90.6% |
| Trees | 1,325 | 73 | 1,398 | 94.8% |
| Listed Building | 518 | 29 | 547 | 94.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 0 | 129 | 129 | 0.0% |
| Advertisement | 102 | 4 | 106 | 96.2% |
| Prior Approval | 70 | 3 | 73 | 95.9% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hildenborough | 507 | 70 | 577 | 87.9% |
| East Malling West Malling And Offham | 412 | 38 | 450 | 91.6% |
| Borough Green And Long Mill | 381 | 59 | 440 | 86.6% |
| Pilgrims With Ightham | 368 | 45 | 413 | 89.1% |
| Aylesford South And Ditton | 384 | 15 | 399 | 96.2% |
| Wrotham, Ightham And Stansted | 326 | 51 | 377 | 86.5% |
| Kings Hill | 309 | 31 | 340 | 90.9% |
| Bourne | 313 | 21 | 334 | 93.7% |
| West Malling And Leybourne | 287 | 37 | 324 | 88.6% |
| Downs And Mereworth | 269 | 44 | 313 | 85.9% |
| Judd | 257 | 30 | 287 | 89.5% |
| Hadlow And East Peckham | 247 | 37 | 284 | 87.0% |
| Castle | 247 | 24 | 271 | 91.1% |
| Cage Green And Angel | 245 | 15 | 260 | 94.2% |
| Vauxhall | 230 | 14 | 244 | 94.3% |
| East & West Peckham Mereworth And Wbury | 221 | 22 | 243 | 90.9% |
| Higham | 218 | 17 | 235 | 92.8% |
| Aylesford North And Walderslade | 206 | 28 | 234 | 88.0% |
| Aylesford North And North Downs | 209 | 18 | 227 | 92.1% |
| Medway | 194 | 11 | 205 | 94.6% |
| East Malling | 164 | 20 | 184 | 89.1% |
| Ditton | 163 | 15 | 178 | 91.6% |
| Borough Green And Platt | 160 | 17 | 177 | 90.4% |
| Aylesford South | 151 | 14 | 165 | 91.5% |
| Birling Leybourne And Ryarsh | 108 | 11 | 119 | 90.8% |
Showing top 25 of 35 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Tonbridge & Malling’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 4.6pp since 2021.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Tonbridge & Malling council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00797/FL Cage Green And Angel | First floor rear extension. Extension to loft incorporating a new rear dormer. G | Approved |
| 26/00777/FL Hildenborough | Replacement and extension to existing swimming pool and utility building, instal | Approved |
| 26/00557/FL Pilgrims With Ightham | Alterations to roof shape | Approved |
| 26/00266/FL Cage Green And Angel | Take down existing brick wall and rebuild using like for like materials, dimensi | Approved |
| 26/00795/LDP Pilgrims With Ightham | Lawful Development Certificate Proposed: Fenestration changes, demolition of exi | Refused |
| 26/00719/FL Bourne | Conversion of loft to habitable room incorporating a rear dormer with Juliet bal | Approved |
| 26/00393/FL Birling Leybourne And Ryarsh | Conversion of garage into habitable room | Approved |
| 26/00375/FL Hildenborough | Single storey front extension and relocation of front entrance, two storey side | Approved |
| 26/00155/FL Bourne | Removal of existing residential outbuilding and erection of replacement single-s | Approved |
| 25/01730/FL Aylesford North And North Downs | Demolition of existing stables and erection of a detached dwelling with vehicle | Approved |
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 Tonbridge & Malling's 8,429 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Tonbridge & Malling's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Tonbridge & Malling'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 Tonbridge & Malling. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 8,429 real decisions from Tonbridge & Malling 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 Tonbridge & Malling'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 8,429 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Tonbridge & Malling is 90.3%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 8,429 planning decisions from Tonbridge & Malling council. 7,610 were approved and 819 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Tonbridge & Malling is 90.3%, 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 Tonbridge & Malling? 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.