City of Edinburgh Council approves 89.8% of planning applications, based on 26,447 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.0%. City of Edinburgh sits 1.8 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 City of Edinburgh.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 23,741 | 2,706 | 26,447 | 89.8% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Centre | 4,815 | 837 | 5,652 | 85.2% |
| Southside/Newington | 1,997 | 227 | 2,224 | 89.8% |
| Inverleith | 1,992 | 219 | 2,211 | 90.1% |
| Almond | 1,529 | 115 | 1,644 | 93.0% |
| Corstorphine/Murrayfield | 1,265 | 84 | 1,349 | 93.8% |
| Portobello/Craigmillar | 1,098 | 127 | 1,225 | 89.6% |
| Colinton/Fairmilehead | 1,156 | 67 | 1,223 | 94.5% |
| Pentland Hills | 1,075 | 72 | 1,147 | 93.7% |
| No Ward Number | 1,050 | 17 | 1,067 | 98.4% |
| Meadows/Morningside | 983 | 76 | 1,059 | 92.8% |
| Leith Walk | 781 | 173 | 954 | 81.9% |
| Morningside | 822 | 104 | 926 | 88.8% |
| Leith | 785 | 123 | 908 | 86.5% |
| Forth | 806 | 87 | 893 | 90.3% |
| Craigentinny/Duddingston | 753 | 93 | 846 | 89.0% |
| Liberton/Gilmerton | 758 | 76 | 834 | 90.9% |
| Drum Brae/Gyle | 720 | 50 | 770 | 93.5% |
| Sighthill/Gorgie | 535 | 72 | 607 | 88.1% |
| Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart (Pre May 20 | 441 | 35 | 476 | 92.6% |
| Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart | 361 | 49 | 410 | 88.0% |
| Midlothian Council | 5 | 1 | 6 | 83.3% |
How City of Edinburgh’s planning approval rate has changed year by year — down 13.0pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from City of Edinburgh council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00945/LBC Craigentinny/Duddingston | Replacement of timber single glazing windows with uPVC double glazing windows. | Approved |
| 26/00920/LBC No Ward Number | Internal alterations, including wall removal to form open plan kitchen /living s | Approved |
| 26/00649/FUL Almond | Proposed single storey front extension. | Approved |
| 26/00676/LBC City Centre | Proposed reinstatement of original doorway, previously removed in 1982. | Approved |
| 26/00864/LBC Sighthill/Gorgie | Form new dormer window with associated internal alterations. | Approved |
| 26/00743/WINPA Leith | The Proposal involves the replacement of all 4 existin windows within the proper | Approved |
| 26/00815/FUL Colinton/Fairmilehead | Proposed front porch. | Approved |
| 26/00727/FUL Almond | Removal of two UPVC conservatories to the west wing and replace with glass porch | Approved |
| 26/00767/FUL Southside/Newington | Erect sub station and switch room along with an associated boundary fence enclos | Approved |
| 26/00724/CLP Almond | Conversion of garage to habitable space. | 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 City of Edinburgh's 26,447 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Dig deeper into City of Edinburgh's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 26,447 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in City of Edinburgh is 89.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.0%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 26,447 planning decisions from City of Edinburgh council. 23,741 were approved and 2,706 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in City of Edinburgh is 89.8%, 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.