Planning applications in Bromley

Planning in Bromley

Bromley has decided applications since 1983, with 185,918 in total, and about 1 in 4 of those decisions was a refusal, compared with about 1 in 7 across the areas we cover. Its neighbours are more lenient: Croydon and Greenwich refuse about 1 in 5, Bexley, Lambeth and Lewisham about 1 in 6, and Southwark about 1 in 15.

Home extensions are the bulk of the workload. Rear extensions alone account for more than 64,000 applications, and about 1 in 5 was refused. Side extensions and front extensions and porches are also refused about 1 in 5 times, so extensions as a group do slightly better than Bromley’s average, though all are refused more often than nationally. Garden rooms and outbuildings, loft conversions and dormers, and fences, walls and gates are each refused about 1 in 4 times. If you are looking into planning permission in Bromley for any of these, the realistic odds of a refusal are higher than across the areas we cover as a whole.

Driveways and dropped kerbs are the toughest of the common projects, refused about 1 in 3 times against about 1 in 5 nationally. Solar panels, at about 1 in 4, are also refused more often than the national 1 in 9. Windows and doors fare best, at about 1 in 6, though that is still more often than the national 1 in 9. Because every common project is refused above the national rate, it is worth studying approvals on your own road before you draw anything up.

The most recent year shows some improvement. In 2025 about 1 in 5 decided applications was refused, against about 1 in 4 over the three years before. Application numbers eased too, to 4,433 in 2025 from an average of 4,919 a year in the three years before. The busiest year on record was 2021, with 6,216.

Bromley has 73 conservation areas and 411 listed buildings, and 1 Article 4 direction. With 73 conservation areas, it is sensible to check early whether your street is covered.

Figures in this section as of 9 October 2026.