Aberdeenshire Council approves 95.8% of planning applications, based on 2,809 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Aberdeenshire sits 7.5 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,185 decided applications, Aberdeenshire Council approved 94.3% of planning applications in 2025. Across 2,809 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Aberdeenshire is 95.8%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Aberdeenshire council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Aberdeenshire.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,342 | 61 | 1,403 | 95.7% |
| Prior Approval | 612 | 2 | 614 | 99.7% |
| Trees | 337 | 9 | 346 | 97.4% |
| Other | 152 | 31 | 183 | 83.1% |
| Listed Building | 130 | 10 | 140 | 92.9% |
| Advertisement | 71 | 0 | 71 | 100.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 45 | 4 | 49 | 91.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100.0% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aboyne, Upper Deeside And Donside | 341 | 6 | 347 | 98.3% |
| Huntly, Strathbogie And Howe Of Alford | 260 | 13 | 273 | 95.2% |
| Mearns | 219 | 6 | 225 | 97.3% |
| Stonehaven And Lower Deeside | 198 | 8 | 206 | 96.1% |
| Central Buchan | 181 | 14 | 195 | 92.8% |
| Banff And District | 147 | 10 | 157 | 93.6% |
| Mid-Formartine | 147 | 8 | 155 | 94.8% |
| Turriff And District | 145 | 5 | 150 | 96.7% |
| Banchory And Mid-Deeside | 143 | 3 | 146 | 97.9% |
| North Kincardine | 122 | 4 | 126 | 96.8% |
| West Garioch | 108 | 4 | 112 | 96.4% |
| Ellon And District | 106 | 0 | 106 | 100.0% |
| East Garioch | 98 | 4 | 102 | 96.1% |
| Westhill And District | 99 | 2 | 101 | 98.0% |
| Troup | 85 | 11 | 96 | 88.5% |
| Peterhead South And Cruden | 83 | 3 | 86 | 96.5% |
| Peterhead North And Rattray | 74 | 10 | 84 | 88.1% |
| Inverurie And District | 70 | 2 | 72 | 97.2% |
| Fraserburgh And District | 62 | 4 | 66 | 93.9% |
How Aberdeenshire’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 3.8pp since 2021.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Aberdeenshire council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| APP/2026/0915 West Garioch | Erection of Agricultural Building | Approved |
| APP/2026/0902 Banchory And Mid-Deeside | Upgrade and Extension to Existing Forestry Track | Approved |
| APP/2026/0695 Ellon And District | Extension to Dwellinghouse including Formation of Platform/Steps | Approved |
| APP/2026/0612 Huntly, Strathbogie And Howe Of Alford | Change of Use from Class 1A (Shops and financial, professional and other service | Approved |
| APP/2026/0590 Troup | Alterations and Extension to Dwellinghouse (Retrospective) | Approved |
| APP/2026/0775 Aboyne, Upper Deeside And Donside | Alterations and Extension to Dwellinghouse | Approved |
| APP/2026/0555 Peterhead South And Cruden | Demolition of Ruin and Erection of Dwellinghouse | Approved |
| APP/2026/0370 Banff And District | Alterations and Extension to Dwellinghouse | Approved |
| APP/2026/0199 East Garioch | Erection of 17 Dwellinghouses (Change Of House Types, Layout and Additional 2 Pl | Approved |
| APP/2026/0838 Central Buchan | Erection of Agricultural Building | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Aberdeenshire's 2,809 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Aberdeenshire's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Aberdeenshire's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Aberdeenshire. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 2,809 real decisions from Aberdeenshire council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Aberdeenshire's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 2,809 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Aberdeenshire is 95.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,809 planning decisions from Aberdeenshire council. 2,692 were approved and 117 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Aberdeenshire is 95.8%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Aberdeenshire? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.