Westminster planning approval rate
Westminster council approved 90.8% of planning applications and refused 9.2%, based on 65,586 decisions analysed. Ranked 143rd out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
90.8%
overall approval rate
65,586
Decisions analysed
59,552
Approved
6,034
Refused
99
Wards covered
Planning in Westminster? 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 Westminster. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
90.8%
78.1%
89.5%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Westminster, mined from 65,586 proposal descriptions.
92.8%
90.9%
87.5%
88.4%
93.5%
92.6%
86.1%
88.5%
89.9%
96.4%
88.2%
73.6%
93.7%
87.0%
79.3%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Westminster. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
WEW_22
90.1%
SJW_22
90.9%
KBW_22
90.4%
MBW_22
88.5%
WEA_02
92.3%
ARW_22
88.7%
RPW_22
90.0%
WEST END
99.4%
LGW_22
84.1%
SJA_02
92.8%
BWW_22
84.8%
SJB_02
90.6%
ST. JAMES'S
99.4%
KBC_02
90.9%
WEC_02
92.5%
LVW_22
88.8%
HPW_22
86.8%
SJC_02
96.1%
WEB_02
94.1%
PNW_22
86.0%
Wards in Westminster
WEW_22
90.1% approval · 7,367 decisions
SJW_22
90.9% approval · 5,755 decisions
KBW_22
90.4% approval · 3,631 decisions
MBW_22
88.5% approval · 2,843 decisions
WEA_02
92.3% approval · 2,266 decisions
ARW_22
88.7% approval · 2,202 decisions
RPW_22
90.0% approval · 1,605 decisions
WEST END
99.4% approval · 1,597 decisions
LGW_22
84.1% approval · 1,568 decisions
SJA_02
92.8% approval · 1,515 decisions
BWW_22
84.8% approval · 1,451 decisions
SJB_02
90.6% approval · 1,334 decisions
ST. JAMES'S
99.4% approval · 1,275 decisions
KBC_02
90.9% approval · 1,204 decisions
WEC_02
92.5% approval · 1,153 decisions
LVW_22
88.8% approval · 1,151 decisions
HPW_22
86.8% approval · 1,082 decisions
SJC_02
96.1% approval · 1,051 decisions
WEB_02
94.1% approval · 1,049 decisions
PNW_22
86.0% approval · 902 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Westminster, showing how the council decides real applications.
None
Registering to assign address numbering and postcode to nine residential units a · BWW_22 · 13/08/2026
None
Installation of two new louvres to existing lightwell; new entry door to basemen · WEW_22 · 13/08/2026
None
Details of secure cycle storage for the residential use; pursuant to condition 5 · SJW_22 · 13/08/2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Westminster, 1 in 11 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 Westminster
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Westminster →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Westminster
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 65,586 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Westminster
What is the planning approval rate in Westminster?
Based on 65,586 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Westminster approved 90.8% of applications and refused 9.2%. The council is ranked 143rd out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Westminster?
Westminster refuses 9.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 11. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 65,586 decided applications since 2020, 6,034 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Westminster have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Westminster are in Z_OBS (100.0%), KNIGHTSBRIDGE AND BELGRAVIA (99.8%), and ST. JAMES'S (99.4%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Westminster?
The most common planning application types in Westminster are: Other (65,282 decisions, 90.8% approved), Prior Approval (228, 78.1%), and Full (76, 89.5%).
How long does a planning application take in Westminster?
Planning applications in Westminster take an average of 9.6 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 57,659 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. Westminster decides approximately 10,931 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Westminster?
You can search planning applications in Westminster directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 65,586 historical decisions in Westminster to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Westminster calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Westminster'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.