Argyll & Bute planning approval rate
Argyll & Bute council approved 95.9% of planning applications and refused 4.1%, based on 4,552 decisions analysed. Ranked 263rd out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
95.9%
overall approval rate
4,552
Decisions analysed
4,366
Approved
186
Refused
12
Wards covered
Planning in Argyll & Bute? 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 Argyll & Bute. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
95.7%
100.0%
100.0%
97.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Argyll & Bute, mined from 4,552 proposal descriptions.
94.6%
98.2%
94.9%
95.9%
98.8%
96.3%
96.8%
97.6%
95.7%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Argyll & Bute. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Oban North And Lorn
95.8%
Oban South And The Isles
95.9%
Kintyre And The Islands
95.8%
Mid Argyll
97.7%
Helensburgh Central
96.8%
Lomond North
96.3%
Cowal
94.8%
South Kintyre
97.8%
Isle Of Bute
95.3%
Dunoon
93.5%
Helensburgh And Lomond South
91.6%
Wards in Argyll & Bute
Oban North And Lorn
95.8% approval · 817 decisions
Oban South And The Isles
95.9% approval · 676 decisions
Kintyre And The Islands
95.8% approval · 648 decisions
Mid Argyll
97.7% approval · 476 decisions
Helensburgh Central
96.8% approval · 373 decisions
Lomond North
96.3% approval · 349 decisions
Cowal
94.8% approval · 344 decisions
South Kintyre
97.8% approval · 272 decisions
Isle Of Bute
95.3% approval · 253 decisions
Dunoon
93.5% approval · 184 decisions
Helensburgh And Lomond South
91.6% approval · 143 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Argyll & Bute, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of ancillary shed/storage to replace ruined stone built shed · Kintyre And The Islands · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Installation of 2 replacement windows · Mid Argyll · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Installation of 2 replacement windows · Mid Argyll · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Argyll & Bute, 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 Argyll & Bute
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Argyll & Bute →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Argyll & Bute
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 4,552 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Argyll & Bute
What is the planning approval rate in Argyll & Bute?
Based on 4,552 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Argyll & Bute approved 95.9% of applications and refused 4.1%. The council is ranked 263rd out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Argyll & Bute?
Argyll & Bute refuses 4.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 24. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 4,552 decided applications since 2020, 186 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Argyll & Bute have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Argyll & Bute are in South Kintyre (97.8%), Mid Argyll (97.7%), and Helensburgh Central (96.8%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Argyll & Bute?
The most common planning application types in Argyll & Bute are: Other (4,315 decisions, 95.7% approved), Prior Approval (109, 100.0%), and Listed Building (78, 100.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Argyll & Bute?
Planning applications in Argyll & Bute take an average of 16.6 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 800 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. Argyll & Bute decides approximately 759 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Argyll & Bute?
You can search planning applications in Argyll & Bute directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 4,552 historical decisions in Argyll & Bute to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Argyll & Bute calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Argyll & Bute'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.