Skip to content
PlanIndex Get alerts
Menu

Region hub · Scotland

Scotland planning applications

98,988 applications. 95% approved. 59 days at the median council.

As of September 2026, PlanIndex holds 98,988 planning applications from 32 of the 32 local planning authorities in Scotland. 25,921 were decided in the trailing 12 months, with 95% of clear-cut outcomes approved.

32
Planning authorities 32 with data indexed
35,745
New applications 12 months to September 2026
25,921
Decided 12 months to September 2026
59 days
Median decision national median 56 days

Every council in Scotland

Applications on record, with each council's own approval rate and decision speed

Planning application volumes, approval rates and median decision times for the local planning authorities in Scotland. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.
Council On record Last 12 months Approved Median days Decision times
Aberdeen City 2,294 1,218 93% 55 How long decisions take
Aberdeenshire 9,069 1,881 95% 65 How long decisions take
Angus 2,070 561 96% 65 How long decisions take
Argyll and Bute 3,012 1,660 98% 56 How long decisions take
City of Edinburgh 7,714 5,351 86% 39 How long decisions take
Clackmannanshire 627 227 97% 50 How long decisions take
Dumfries and Galloway 3,201 1,672 95% 48 How long decisions take
Dundee City 4,000 759 96% 57 How long decisions take
East Ayrshire 8,591 661 96% 65 How long decisions take
East Dunbartonshire 1,317 608 97% 66 How long decisions take
East Lothian 1,838 1,092 97% 56 How long decisions take
East Renfrewshire 1,032 669 93% 49 How long decisions take
Falkirk 1,031 569 98% 56 How long decisions take
Fife 5,413 3,104 96% 45 How long decisions take
Glasgow City 7,394 2,139 92% 78 How long decisions take
Highland 3,828 2,678 97% 67 How long decisions take
Inverclyde 3,077 268 97% 59 How long decisions take
Midlothian 1,148 580 93% 59 How long decisions take
Moray 3,486 699 97% 83 How long decisions take
Na h-Eileanan Siar 2,907 458 99% 57 How long decisions take
North Ayrshire 3,038 493 97% 48 How long decisions take
North Lanarkshire 3,860 974 97% 55 How long decisions take
Orkney Islands 613 341 96% 99 How long decisions take
Perth and Kinross 2,396 1,472 92% 59 How long decisions take
Renfrewshire 1,607 710 95% 59 How long decisions take
Scottish Borders 4,010 1,326 94% 61 How long decisions take
Shetland Islands 629 382 99% 61 How long decisions take
South Ayrshire 1,350 751 98% 56 How long decisions take
South Lanarkshire 2,243 1,207 94% 70 How long decisions take
Stirling 4,352 697 99% 58 How long decisions take
West Dunbartonshire 444 239 98% 63 How long decisions take
West Lothian 1,397 715 80% 64 How long decisions take

Approval rates and median days come from the PlanIndex decision-times study; a dash means the council has too few timed decisions to measure fairly. Councils without a count are not yet ingested.

Latest applications in Scotland

Data to September 2026

  • 26/01331/TPO Awaiting decision

    1 Rutherford Castle Drive West Linton Scottish Borders EH46 7AR

    Work to trees

    Submitted 8 Sep 2026 Trees
  • 26/01334/TCA Awaiting decision

    Smithy House Dow Brae Town Yetholm Kelso Scottish Borders TD5 8RF

    Work to trees

    Submitted 8 Sep 2026 Trees
  • 26/01333/VAA Awaiting decision

    61 Croft Road Kelso Scottish Borders TD5 7EP

    Vehicular Access Application to drop kerb

    Submitted 8 Sep 2026
  • 26/01332/TCA Awaiting decision

    Plane Tree Lodge Foulden Scottish Borders TD15 1UH

    Work to trees

    Submitted 8 Sep 2026 Trees
  • 26/01330/TCA Awaiting decision

    Abbotsbank Gattonside Melrose Scottish Borders TD6 9NH

    Work to trees

    Submitted 8 Sep 2026 Trees
  • 26/00918/P Awaiting decision

    The Fisherrow Centre South Street Musselburgh EH21 6AT

    Erection of cycle store

    Submitted 7 Sep 2026 Full applications
  • 26/01323/LBC Awaiting decision

    The Furrows Main Street Whitsome Duns Scottish Borders TD11 3NB

    Removal of stone arch and hearth and Installation of wood burning stove

    Submitted 7 Sep 2026 Heritage and listed buildings
  • TRE/2026/0066 Awaiting decision

    Cardowan 31 Slug Road Stonehaven AB39 2DU

    Felling of Horse Chestnut Tree and Sycamore Maple Tree

    Submitted 7 Sep 2026
  • 26/0703/PP Awaiting decision

    85 Clydesdale Avenue Paisley PA3 4JW

    Erection of single storey extension to side and rear and porch to front of dwellinghouse

    Submitted 4 Sep 2026
  • 26/0706/PP Awaiting decision

    10 Viewfield Avenue Lochwinnoch PA12 4EE

    Erection of single storey extension to rear of dwellinghouse

    Submitted 4 Sep 2026

Common questions

How many local planning authorities are there in Scotland?

Scotland has 32 local planning authorities listed on PlanIndex, 32 of which have applications indexed here. Each has its own hub with volumes, approval rates and the latest submissions.

How many planning applications does Scotland decide?

In the 12 months to September 2026, councils in Scotland decided 25,921 planning applications. 95% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals.

Which council in Scotland decides planning applications fastest?

Of the 32 Scotland councils ranked in the PlanIndex decision-times study, City of Edinburgh had the fastest median in the year to September 2026 at 39 days from application to decision. The slowest was Orkney Islands at 99 days.

How long does a planning decision take in Scotland?

Taking the median council in Scotland, a planning decision takes 59 days from application to decision, measured across 25,156 decisions from 32 ranked councils. The figure is the median of each council's own median, so one large authority cannot move it on its own.

Which is the busiest council in Scotland for planning applications?

City of Edinburgh recorded 5,351 applications in the 12 months to September 2026, the most of any council in Scotland over that period.