Wandsworth planning approval rate
Wandsworth council approved 93.3% of planning applications and refused 6.7%, based on 27,479 decisions analysed. Ranked 193rd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
93.3%
overall approval rate
27,479
Decisions analysed
25,632
Approved
1,847
Refused
76
Wards covered
Planning in Wandsworth? 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 Wandsworth. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
94.1%
91.6%
76.2%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Wandsworth, mined from 27,479 proposal descriptions.
92.9%
91.3%
93.6%
95.5%
94.7%
88.7%
94.1%
92.6%
91.7%
96.2%
83.2%
92.6%
89.1%
87.0%
96.3%
90.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Wandsworth. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Wandsworth Common
91.3%
Thamesfield
91.3%
Balham
91.8%
West Putney
91.7%
Northcote
91.7%
Wandsworth Town
90.6%
East Putney
91.0%
Tooting Broadway
88.7%
Trinity
89.6%
Furzedown
88.0%
Southfields
89.8%
West Hill
89.3%
South Balham
95.0%
Lavender
90.3%
Wandle
89.4%
Tooting Bec
85.6%
Nine Elms
98.1%
Shaftesbury & Queenstown
92.8%
ST. MARY'S PARK
99.1%
Battersea Park
91.9%
Wards in Wandsworth
Wandsworth Common
91.3% approval · 1,390 decisions
Thamesfield
91.3% approval · 1,292 decisions
Balham
91.8% approval · 1,162 decisions
West Putney
91.7% approval · 1,162 decisions
Northcote
91.7% approval · 913 decisions
Wandsworth Town
90.6% approval · 906 decisions
East Putney
91.0% approval · 900 decisions
Tooting Broadway
88.7% approval · 815 decisions
Trinity
89.6% approval · 763 decisions
Furzedown
88.0% approval · 723 decisions
Southfields
89.8% approval · 685 decisions
West Hill
89.3% approval · 652 decisions
South Balham
95.0% approval · 643 decisions
Lavender
90.3% approval · 639 decisions
Wandle
89.4% approval · 625 decisions
Tooting Bec
85.6% approval · 603 decisions
Nine Elms
98.1% approval · 576 decisions
Shaftesbury & Queenstown
92.8% approval · 559 decisions
ST. MARY'S PARK
99.1% approval · 559 decisions
Battersea Park
91.9% approval · 540 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Wandsworth, showing how the council decides real applications.
2026/1314
Loft Extension · Wandsworth Common · 26/06/2026
2026/1680
Alterations including erection of replacement single-storey rear extension; exca · Wandsworth Common · 26/06/2026
2026/1667
Continued use of the property as two residential flats. · Tooting Broadway · 26/06/2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Wandsworth, 1 in 15 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 Wandsworth
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Wandsworth →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Wandsworth
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 27,479 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Wandsworth
What is the planning approval rate in Wandsworth?
Based on 27,479 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Wandsworth approved 93.3% of applications and refused 6.7%. The council is ranked 193rd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Wandsworth?
Wandsworth refuses 6.7% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 15. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 27,479 decided applications since 2020, 1,847 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Wandsworth have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Wandsworth are in LATCHMERE (100.0%), QUEENSTOWN (99.8%), and FURZEDOWN (99.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Wandsworth?
The most common planning application types in Wandsworth are: Other (22,083 decisions, 94.1% approved), Full (4,765, 91.6%), and Prior Approval (631, 76.2%).
How long does a planning application take in Wandsworth?
Planning applications in Wandsworth take an average of 12.3 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 18,669 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. Wandsworth decides approximately 4,580 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Wandsworth?
You can search planning applications in Wandsworth directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 27,479 historical decisions in Wandsworth to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Wandsworth calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Wandsworth'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.