Aberdeenshire Council approves – of planning applications, based on 2,383 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Aberdeenshire is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,383 decided applications on record (March 2021 to September 2026), Aberdeenshire Council approved – of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Aberdeenshire council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | – | – | 1,697 | – |
| Prior Approval | – | – | 580 | – |
| Trees | – | – | 373 | – |
| Other | – | – | 204 | – |
| Listed Building | – | – | 176 | – |
| Advertisement | – | – | 82 | – |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | – | – | 54 | – |
| Discharge of Conditions | – | – | 3 | – |
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 | – | – | 392 | – |
| Huntly, Strathbogie And Howe Of Alford | – | – | 303 | – |
| Mearns | – | – | 250 | – |
| Stonehaven And Lower Deeside | – | – | 227 | – |
| Central Buchan | – | – | 206 | – |
| Mid-Formartine | – | – | 183 | – |
| Banff And District | – | – | 177 | – |
| Banchory And Mid-Deeside | – | – | 172 | – |
| Turriff And District | – | – | 164 | – |
| North Kincardine | – | – | 143 | – |
| West Garioch | – | – | 124 | – |
| East Garioch | – | – | 119 | – |
| Ellon And District | – | – | 118 | – |
| Westhill And District | – | – | 116 | – |
| Peterhead North And Rattray | – | – | 108 | – |
| Peterhead South And Cruden | – | – | 104 | – |
| Troup | – | – | 102 | – |
| Inverurie And District | – | – | 80 | – |
| Fraserburgh And District | – | – | 77 | – |
How Aberdeenshire’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, unchanged 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/2026/1486 Peterhead North And Rattray | Erection of Cattle Court | Approved |
| APP/2026/1442 Stonehaven And Lower Deeside | Installation of Security Window Film to Internal Face of Windows | Approved |
| APP/2026/1398 West Garioch | Alterations and Extension to Dwellinghouse | Approved |
| APP/2026/1378 Mearns | Alterations and Extension to Dwellinghouse | Approved |
| APP/2026/1236 Troup | Erection of Pergola (Retrospective) | Refused |
| APP/2026/1169 East Garioch | Alterations and Extension of Garage | Approved |
| APP/2026/0712 Huntly, Strathbogie And Howe Of Alford | Alterations to Garden Wall to Incorporate Dwellinghouse | Approved |
| APP/2026/0710 Huntly, Strathbogie And Howe Of Alford | Alterations to Garden Wall to Incorporate Dwellinghouse | Approved |
| APP/2026/0410 Westhill And District | Alterations, Dormer Extension to Dwellinghouse and Erection of Garage | Approved |
| APP/2025/1740 Banff And District | Demolition of Dwellinghouse and Erection of Replacement Dwellinghouse | 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 2,383 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 2,383 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 2,383 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Aberdeenshire is –. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,383 planning decisions from Aberdeenshire council. – were approved and – were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, March 2021 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Aberdeenshire is –, 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.