Tonbridge & Malling Council approves 90.7% of planning applications, based on 5,935 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Tonbridge & Malling sits 5.7 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 5,935 decisions on record (March 2021 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Tonbridge & Malling is 90.7%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Tonbridge & Malling council planning portal records · Data to 29 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 Tonbridge & Malling.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 5,886 | 605 | 6,491 | 90.7% |
| Trees | 1,412 | 78 | 1,490 | 94.8% |
| Listed Building | 551 | 29 | 580 | 95.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 0 | 132 | 132 | 0.0% |
| Advertisement | 106 | 4 | 110 | 96.4% |
| 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 | 539 | 72 | 611 | 88.2% |
| East Malling West Malling And Offham | 469 | 40 | 509 | 92.1% |
| Pilgrims With Ightham | 414 | 51 | 465 | 89.0% |
| Aylesford South And Ditton | 423 | 18 | 441 | 95.9% |
| Borough Green And Long Mill | 381 | 59 | 440 | 86.6% |
| Bourne | 360 | 23 | 383 | 94.0% |
| Wrotham, Ightham And Stansted | 326 | 51 | 377 | 86.5% |
| Kings Hill | 322 | 31 | 353 | 91.2% |
| West Malling And Leybourne | 287 | 37 | 324 | 88.6% |
| Downs And Mereworth | 269 | 44 | 313 | 85.9% |
| Judd | 280 | 32 | 312 | 89.7% |
| Cage Green And Angel | 274 | 17 | 291 | 94.2% |
| Hadlow And East Peckham | 247 | 37 | 284 | 87.0% |
| Castle | 247 | 24 | 271 | 91.1% |
| East & West Peckham Mereworth And Wbury | 238 | 24 | 262 | 90.8% |
| Vauxhall | 245 | 15 | 260 | 94.2% |
| Aylesford North And North Downs | 233 | 20 | 253 | 92.1% |
| Higham | 227 | 17 | 244 | 93.0% |
| Aylesford North And Walderslade | 206 | 28 | 234 | 88.0% |
| Medway | 194 | 11 | 205 | 94.6% |
| Borough Green And Platt | 182 | 20 | 202 | 90.1% |
| East Malling | 164 | 20 | 184 | 89.1% |
| Ditton | 163 | 15 | 178 | 91.6% |
| Aylesford South | 151 | 14 | 165 | 91.5% |
| Birling Leybourne And Ryarsh | 125 | 13 | 138 | 90.6% |
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 3.9pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01458/FL East Malling West Malling And Offham | Part retrospective application for the alterations to the outbuilding, and part | Approved |
| 26/01434/FL Higham | Single storey side and two storey side/rear extensions | Approved |
| 26/01400/LB East Malling West Malling And Offham | Listed Building Application: Replace existing slate roof covering and inspect an | Approved |
| 26/01391/FL Kings Hill | Conversion of existing tennis courts to padel courts with associated lighting (i | Approved |
| 25/00767/OA East Malling West Malling And Offham | Outline Application: Residential development consisting of 8no. self-build plots | Refused |
| 26/01448/FL Kings Hill | Single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/01038/FL Borough Green And Platt | Part retrospective replacement of an existing gravel driveway and hardstanding w | Approved |
| 26/01317/FL Cage Green And Angel | Internal subdivision of existing commercial premises into two separate self-cont | Approved |
| 24/01969/OA Birling Leybourne And Ryarsh | Outline Application: all matters reserved for: Demolition of existing garage and | Approved |
| 26/01360/FL Higham | Single storey rear and side extension | 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 5,935 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 5,935 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 5,935 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Tonbridge & Malling is 90.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 5,935 planning decisions from Tonbridge & Malling council. 5,383 were approved and 552 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, March 2021 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Tonbridge & Malling is 90.7%, 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.