Planning Approval Rate in Kensington and Chelsea

Kensington and Chelsea is in the more approving third of English authorities, granting 93% of the applications it decides (rank 66th of 310). That puts it somewhat more approving than the England average — 93% approved against an England average of 87%. Within London it is the 3rd most approving of 34 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 82.5%. Refusals are uncommon here: 166 of its 2,381 decisions were refusals (7%). On the split by scale it is about as likely to approve major schemes as small ones: 93.3% of major developments approved versus 93.2% of householder and other small-scale work, from 15 major decisions.

On timing it is a little faster than average, deciding 96.1% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on one of the heavier caseloads of 2,381 decisions over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, where the typical English authority decides around 783. Among its London neighbours it sits between City of London (96.2%, more approving) and Southwark (91.4%, stricter). For context in London, Hammersmith and Fulham approves the most (97.2%) and Barking and Dagenham the least (66.2%).