Aberdeenshire planning approval rate
Aberdeenshire council approved 95.8% of planning applications and refused 4.2%, based on 2,975 decisions analysed. Ranked 255th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
95.8%
overall approval rate
2,975
Decisions analysed
2,850
Approved
125
Refused
19
Wards covered
Planning in Aberdeenshire? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Aberdeenshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
95.8%
99.3%
97.5%
84.0%
93.5%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Aberdeenshire, mined from 2,975 proposal descriptions.
99.8%
84.2%
94.6%
97.6%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Aberdeenshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Aboyne, Upper Deeside And Donside
98.4%
Huntly, Strathbogie And Howe Of Alford
95.4%
Mearns
97.0%
Stonehaven And Lower Deeside
95.4%
Central Buchan
92.9%
Mid-Formartine
95.4%
Banff And District
94.0%
Banchory And Mid-Deeside
98.1%
Turriff And District
95.5%
North Kincardine
97.0%
West Garioch
96.5%
Ellon And District
100.0%
East Garioch
95.3%
Westhill And District
98.1%
Peterhead North And Rattray
88.9%
Troup
88.8%
Peterhead South And Cruden
95.8%
Inverurie And District
97.4%
Fraserburgh And District
94.7%
Wards in Aberdeenshire
Aboyne, Upper Deeside And Donside
98.4% approval · 365 decisions
Huntly, Strathbogie And Howe Of Alford
95.4% approval · 281 decisions
Mearns
97.0% approval · 235 decisions
Stonehaven And Lower Deeside
95.4% approval · 218 decisions
Central Buchan
92.9% approval · 196 decisions
Mid-Formartine
95.4% approval · 173 decisions
Banff And District
94.0% approval · 168 decisions
Banchory And Mid-Deeside
98.1% approval · 160 decisions
Turriff And District
95.5% approval · 154 decisions
North Kincardine
97.0% approval · 134 decisions
West Garioch
96.5% approval · 115 decisions
Ellon And District
100.0% approval · 113 decisions
East Garioch
95.3% approval · 107 decisions
Westhill And District
98.1% approval · 107 decisions
Peterhead North And Rattray
88.9% approval · 99 decisions
Troup
88.8% approval · 98 decisions
Peterhead South And Cruden
95.8% approval · 96 decisions
Inverurie And District
97.4% approval · 77 decisions
Fraserburgh And District
94.7% approval · 75 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Aberdeenshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of Dwellinghouse · Peterhead South And Cruden · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Erection of Dwellinghouse and Garage (Change of House Design and Plot Layout to · Banchory And Mid-Deeside · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Alterations and Extension to Dwellinghouse · Huntly, Strathbogie And Howe Of Alford · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Aberdeenshire, 1 in 24 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Aberdeenshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Aberdeenshire →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Aberdeenshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 2,975 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Aberdeenshire
What is the planning approval rate in Aberdeenshire?
Based on 2,975 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Aberdeenshire approved 95.8% of applications and refused 4.2%. The council is ranked 255th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Aberdeenshire?
Aberdeenshire refuses 4.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 24. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 2,975 decided applications since 2020, 125 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Aberdeenshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Aberdeenshire are in Ellon And District (100.0%), Aboyne, Upper Deeside And Donside (98.4%), and Banchory And Mid-Deeside (98.1%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Aberdeenshire?
The most common planning application types in Aberdeenshire are: Full (1,568 decisions, 95.8% approved), Prior Approval (566, 99.3%), and Trees (358, 97.5%).
How long does a planning application take in Aberdeenshire?
Planning applications in Aberdeenshire take an average of 10.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 2,960 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Aberdeenshire decides approximately 496 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Aberdeenshire?
You can search planning applications in Aberdeenshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 2,975 historical decisions in Aberdeenshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Aberdeenshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Aberdeenshire's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.