Aberdeenshire Council approves 98.8% of planning applications, based on 1,022 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Aberdeenshire sits 10.9 percentage points above the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — based on your ward and application type.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prior Approval | 481 | 0 | 481 | 100.0% |
| Trees | 252 | 3 | 255 | 98.8% |
| Full | 209 | 6 | 215 | 97.2% |
| Other | 24 | 2 | 26 | 92.3% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 19 | 1 | 20 | 95.0% |
| Advertisement | 15 | 0 | 15 | 100.0% |
| Listed Building | 9 | 0 | 9 | 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.
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 | 161 | 1 | 162 | 99.4% |
| Huntly, Strathbogie And Howe Of Alford | 137 | 0 | 137 | 100.0% |
| Stonehaven And Lower Deeside | 99 | 1 | 100 | 99.0% |
| Mearns | 87 | 1 | 88 | 98.9% |
| Banchory And Mid-Deeside | 66 | 0 | 66 | 100.0% |
| Banff And District | 58 | 3 | 61 | 95.1% |
| Mid-Formartine | 52 | 1 | 53 | 98.1% |
| North Kincardine | 51 | 0 | 51 | 100.0% |
| Central Buchan | 51 | 0 | 51 | 100.0% |
| West Garioch | 44 | 0 | 44 | 100.0% |
| Turriff And District | 41 | 0 | 41 | 100.0% |
| Ellon And District | 38 | 0 | 38 | 100.0% |
| East Garioch | 24 | 1 | 25 | 96.0% |
| Westhill And District | 21 | 1 | 22 | 95.5% |
| Troup | 20 | 1 | 21 | 95.2% |
| Fraserburgh And District | 15 | 1 | 16 | 93.8% |
| Peterhead South And Cruden | 16 | 0 | 16 | 100.0% |
| Peterhead North And Rattray | 14 | 1 | 15 | 93.3% |
| Inverurie And District | 12 | 0 | 12 | 100.0% |
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/2026/0292 Huntly, Strathbogie And Howe Of Alford | Erection of Agricultural Building | Approved |
| APP/2026/0216 Stonehaven And Lower Deeside | Alterations and Extension to Dwellinghouse | Approved |
| APP/2026/0178 Huntly, Strathbogie And Howe Of Alford | Alterations and Extension to Dwellinghosue (Garage) | Approved |
| APP/2026/0233 Mearns | Demolition Of Dwellinghouse | Approved |
| APP/2026/0135 Fraserburgh And District | Installation of Replacement Windows | Approved |
| APP/2026/0096 Stonehaven And Lower Deeside | Alterations and Extension to Dwellinghouse | Approved |
| APP/2026/0162 Central Buchan | Upgrade and Extension to Forestry Private Way | Approved |
| APP/2026/0129 North Kincardine | Erection of Agricultural Building | Approved |
| APP/2026/0127 Mid-Formartine | Erection of Agricultural Building | Approved |
| APP/2026/0138 Mearns | Alterations and Extension to Agricultural Building | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Aberdeenshire's 1,022 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Dig deeper into Aberdeenshire's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 1,022 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Aberdeenshire is 98.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,022 planning decisions from Aberdeenshire council. 1,010 were approved and 12 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Aberdeenshire is 98.8%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.