Green roof planning trends
Green roofs take two and a half times their 2016 share of planning applications, though the green roof planning index has eased since October 2024.
Green roof applications since 2016
Green roof applications in every 10,000 planning applications, over the 12 months to each month
How this is measuredUp two and a half times since 2016
The green roof planning index stood at 254 in September 2026, two and a half times the 2016 share. The share rose every year from 2016 to 2022, peaked in the 12 months to October 2024, on 440 applications, and has eased since.
London far ahead
From 2023 to 2025, London had 28 green roof applications in every 10,000, against 8.3 across the UK. The East of England came next on 8.1. Northern Ireland had 0.7. Westminster leads all councils with 272 since 2016, then Camden on 265.
Q3 2026 against a year earlier
Councils received 83 green roof applications in Q3 2026: 8.1 in every 10,000 applications, against 7.8 in Q3 2025, a share of all applications 4% higher than a year earlier.
Green roof applications each quarter
83 in Q3 2026, against 85 a year earlier.
Out of every 10,000 applications
As a share of every application: 8.1 in every 10,000 in Q3 2026, against 7.8 a year earlier.
Where green roof applications concentrate
By region
Green roof applications in every 10,000 planning applications, 2023 to 2025
Councils with the most
Applications since 2016
-
Westminster
London · 45 in every 10,000 272 -
Camden
London · 90 in every 10,000 265 -
Lambeth
London · 42 in every 10,000 124 -
Islington
London · 56 in every 10,000 123 -
Barnet
London · 20 in every 10,000 106 -
Hackney
London · 43 in every 10,000 99 -
Southwark
London · 39 in every 10,000 90 -
Hammersmith & Fulham
London · 39 in every 10,000 84 -
Lewisham
London · 27 in every 10,000 77 -
Brent
London · 16 in every 10,000 64
Latest green roof applications
- 25 Kinnerton Street London Extensions at rear, roof and basement levels to create 2 x 5 bedroom dwellings at 25 and 27 Kinnerton Street; new rear balconies at second floor level, PV panels, green roofs and associated works. (SITE 25 & 27 Kinnerton Street) REVISIONS RECEIVED
- 6 Barnet Road Barnet Erection of a rear outbuilding with green roof following demolition of the existing outbuilding
- 7 Boughton Park Grafty Green Kent Erection of a garden building with living green roof in rear garden.
- The Polo Centre Billingbear Park Billingbear Lane Wokingham 1no. new stable building with sedum roof following demolition of the existing 3no. stable buildings.
- 16 Lowther Road Barnes London Proposed Side and Rear Extension. Conversion of the existing garage. - Alteration and refurbishment of the existing rear dormer, height increase, revised glazing with bronze-finished cladding. Replacement and new positioning of roofl.ghts. Alteration of selected windows and doors. Replacement of front windows with like-for-like double glazing units set within timber frames to match existing. Associated garden improvements, landscape works. Extensive green roofing and rainwater-harvesting facilities and Removal of Chimney.
- THE Lodge, 138 Whiston Road, Hackney, London Demolition of the existing dwelling and erection of a replacement dwelling (Use Class C3) together with the widening of the existing vehicular access and a replacement gate, landscaping, green roof and associated works.
Questions
How many green roof planning applications are there in the UK?
Councils have received 3,558 since January 2016, 399 of them in the 12 months to September 2026. Their share peaked in the 12 months to October 2024.
Which councils get the most green roof applications?
Westminster, Camden and Lambeth have received the most since 2016.
Why does London have so many green roof applications?
From 2023 to 2025 London had 28 green roof applications in every 10,000, over three times the UK's 8.3. The London Plan 2021, Policy G5, asks major developments in London to include urban greening, and scores an extensive green roof at 0.7.
About Plota
Plota is the UK's most visited planning search, according to Similarweb. It shows every new planning application from every UK council, read daily from 390 planning registers, with past applications back to 2016 from more than 420 registers, including those of councils since merged. It also covers planning committee decisions, HMO licences and premises licences.
How this is measured
What needs an application
Since 2021 the London Plan has asked major developments in the capital to include urban greening, with green roofs scoring highly. The policy applies in London only.
Methodology
- What is counted: planning applications to UK councils whose description names green roofs or a close variant of the words, by the date each council received them. These are planning applications, not completed schemes; the largest energy and infrastructure projects are consented nationally rather than by councils, so they sit outside these counts.
- How matches are checked: we read the 200 most recent green roof applications and 20 from every year since 2016 to confirm each one belongs.
- Topic counts leave out, by design, works to trees and applications that only discharge conditions, amend an earlier permission or approve reserved matters, which follow a scheme already counted. Everything else is counted.
- A share is the number out of every 10,000 applications over the previous 12 months. Each topic is a number in every 10,000 planning applications, so trends compare when overall planning activity changes; the share still moves when either the topic's count or the total does. The green roof planning index sets the 2016 share at 100, so 200 means twice as common as in 2016.
- Source: the planning registers of every UK council, January 2016 to September 2026, read on 9 November 2026.
- Planning is seasonal, so each quarter is compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
- Year on year: each topic's and theme's share of all applications in Q3 2026, against Q3 2025, at every council we hold. A share is the number in every 10,000 applications. Shares compare across councils and years; raw counts do not.
- Left out of the topic shares: Birmingham's applications from June to September 2026: a validation backlog at the council since June 2026: of 685 reference numbers it issued in September, its register lists 288. The same months a year earlier are left out too, so every comparison covers the same councils.
- Download the data (CSV): every topic and theme, each quarter since 2016.
Sources
- The London Plan 2021 Policy G5 requires major development proposals to include urban greening and scores an extensive green roof at 0.7 in Table 8.2. london.gov.uk