Tonbridge & Malling planning approval rate

Tonbridge & Malling council approved 90.3% of planning applications and refused 9.7%, based on 10,563 decisions analysed. Ranked 105th out of 221 councils for strictness.

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

90.3%

overall approval rate

10,563

Decisions analysed

9,536

Approved

1,027

Refused

Wards covered

Planning in Tonbridge & Malling? 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 Tonbridge & Malling. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.

Other (6,237 decided)

89.8%

Trees (2,110 decided)

96.1%

Full (1,230 decided)

91.5%

Listed Building (627 decided)

95.4%

Certificate of Lawfulness (157 decided)

0.0%

Advertisement (118 decided)

93.2%

Prior Approval (84 decided)

92.9%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Tonbridge & Malling — mined from 10,563 proposal descriptions.

Garage / Parking (2,392 decided)

85.6%

Rear Extension (1,853 decided)

92.3%

Side Extension (1,082 decided)

89.6%

Extension (General) (689 decided)

89.4%

Outbuilding (642 decided)

84.3%

Dormer (552 decided)

84.8%

New Build (499 decided)

83.2%

Change of Use (Residential) (456 decided)

87.7%

Conservatory (391 decided)

94.9%

Loft Conversion (372 decided)

86.3%

Front Extension (271 decided)

87.8%

Wraparound Extension (218 decided)

89.9%

Annex (160 decided)

81.2%

Basement (75 decided)

86.7%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (55 decided)

81.8%

Flat Conversion (38 decided)

94.7%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Tonbridge & Malling. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

Hildenborough (669 decided)

88.6%

East Malling West Malling And Offham (458 decided)

92.1%

Pilgrims With Ightham (443 decided)

88.7%

Aylesford South And Ditton (401 decided)

95.5%

Kings Hill (392 decided)

90.8%

Bourne (361 decided)

94.5%

Judd (334 decided)

89.2%

Higham (280 decided)

92.5%

Cage Green And Angel (275 decided)

94.2%

Vauxhall (275 decided)

92.7%

East & West Peckham Mereworth And Wbury (246 decided)

92.3%

Aylesford North And North Downs (226 decided)

92.9%

Borough Green And Platt (166 decided)

88.6%

Snodland East And Ham Hill (139 decided)

96.4%

Snodland West And Holborough Lakes (133 decided)

87.2%

Birling Leybourne And Ryarsh (122 decided)

88.5%

Trench (115 decided)

91.3%

Larkfield (84 decided)

84.5%

Walderslade (81 decided)

92.6%

East Malling West Malling And Offham, Aylesford South And Ditton (21 decided)

100.0%

Wards in Tonbridge & Malling

Hildenborough

88.6% approval · 669 decisions

East Malling West Malling And Offham

92.1% approval · 458 decisions

Pilgrims With Ightham

88.7% approval · 443 decisions

Aylesford South And Ditton

95.5% approval · 401 decisions

Kings Hill

90.8% approval · 392 decisions

Bourne

94.5% approval · 361 decisions

Judd

89.2% approval · 334 decisions

Higham

92.5% approval · 280 decisions

Cage Green And Angel

94.2% approval · 275 decisions

Vauxhall

92.7% approval · 275 decisions

East & West Peckham Mereworth And Wbury

92.3% approval · 246 decisions

Aylesford North And North Downs

92.9% approval · 226 decisions

Borough Green And Platt

88.6% approval · 166 decisions

Snodland East And Ham Hill

96.4% approval · 139 decisions

Snodland West And Holborough Lakes

87.2% approval · 133 decisions

Birling Leybourne And Ryarsh

88.5% approval · 122 decisions

Trench

91.3% approval · 115 decisions

Larkfield

84.5% approval · 84 decisions

Walderslade

92.6% approval · 81 decisions

East Malling West Malling And Offham, Aylesford South And Ditton

100.0% approval · 21 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Tonbridge & Malling, showing how the council decides real applications.

23/01282/FL

Change of use of existing office building (Class E) into 3 no residential units · · 2026-01-22

Approved

24/01340/PA

Proposed replacement of a storm damaged forestry building · Bourne · 2026-01-22

Approved

25/00396/PA

1 x Ash (applicants ref. T1 - standing in back garden over car port) - Reduce by · Snodland East And Ham Hill · 2026-01-22

Approved

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

What gets approved near your property?

In Tonbridge & Malling, 1 in 10 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 Tonbridge & Malling
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Get Tonbridge & Malling Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 10,563 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

Maidstone Sevenoaks Medway

Check planning approval patterns — Free