Dumfries & Galloway Council approves 97.5% of planning applications, based on 23,176 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Dumfries & Galloway sits 9.2 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,171 decided applications, Dumfries & Galloway Council approved 94.5% of planning applications in 2025. Across 23,176 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Dumfries & Galloway is 97.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Dumfries & Galloway council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Dumfries & Galloway.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 21,417 | 526 | 21,943 | 97.6% |
| Full | 591 | 44 | 635 | 93.1% |
| Prior Approval | 272 | 0 | 272 | 100.0% |
| Listed Building | 105 | 7 | 112 | 93.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 105 | 6 | 111 | 94.6% |
| Trees | 69 | 0 | 69 | 100.0% |
| Advertisement | 29 | 1 | 30 | 96.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0.0% |
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, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dee And Glenkens | 2,623 | 73 | 2,696 | 97.3% |
| Mid Galloway And Wigtown West | 2,441 | 78 | 2,519 | 96.9% |
| Annandale North | 2,171 | 57 | 2,228 | 97.4% |
| Mid And Upper Nithsdale | 2,138 | 61 | 2,199 | 97.2% |
| Annandale East And Eskdale | 1,983 | 41 | 2,024 | 98.0% |
| Castle Douglas And Crocketford | 1,808 | 55 | 1,863 | 97.0% |
| Annandale South | 1,561 | 42 | 1,603 | 97.4% |
| Nith | 1,520 | 25 | 1,545 | 98.4% |
| Abbey | 1,478 | 54 | 1,532 | 96.5% |
| Stranraer And The Rhins | 1,458 | 55 | 1,513 | 96.4% |
| Lochar | 1,298 | 23 | 1,321 | 98.3% |
| Mid Galloway | 1,074 | 9 | 1,083 | 99.2% |
| North West Dumfries | 639 | 11 | 650 | 98.3% |
How Dumfries & Galloway’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 2.8pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Dumfries & Galloway council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/0807/FUL Stranraer And The Rhins | ERECTION OF ANEROBIC DIGESTER AND ASSOCIATED ENGINE PLANT BUILDING | Approved |
| 26/0806/ADV Nith | DISPLAY OF 2 NO. INTERNALLY ILLUMINATED ATM SURROUNDS AND 2 NO. WINDOW VINYLS | Approved |
| 26/0785/FUL Castle Douglas And Crocketford | ERECTION OF GREENHOUSE AND FORMATION OF 2NO. OPENINGS AND INSTALLATION OF 1NO. R | Approved |
| 26/0723/LBC Dee And Glenkens | INTERNAL ALTERATIONS TO SUBDIVIDE ROOM AND INTSTALLATION OF EXTERNAL PIPEWORK | Approved |
| 26/0647/FUL Dee And Glenkens | FORMATION OF WINDOW OPENING IN SOUTH ELEVATION OF DWELLINGHOUSE | Approved |
| 26/0876/APA Mid And Upper Nithsdale | PRIOR APPROVAL FOR ERECTION OF AGRICULTURAL BUILDING | Approved |
| 26/0812/LBC Nith | INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ALTERATIONS INCLUDING INSTALLATION OF REPLACEMENT WINDOWS | Approved |
| 26/0706/FUL Annandale East And Eskdale | ERECTION OF SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION TO NORTH ELEVATION AND CANOPY TO EAST ELEVAT | Approved |
| 26/0871/FUL Annandale North | ERECTION OF AGRICULTURAL BUILDING WITH ROOF MOUNTED SOLAR PANELS | Approved |
| 26/0835/FUL Castle Douglas And Crocketford | CHANGE OF USE OF DOMESTIC GARAGE TO COMMERCIAL MICRO BREWERY AND INSTALLATION OF | 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 Dumfries & Galloway's 23,176 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Dumfries & Galloway's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Dumfries & Galloway'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 Dumfries & Galloway. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 23,176 real decisions from Dumfries & Galloway 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 Dumfries & Galloway'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 23,176 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Dumfries & Galloway is 97.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 23,176 planning decisions from Dumfries & Galloway council. 22,588 were approved and 588 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Dumfries & Galloway is 97.5%, 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 Dumfries & Galloway? 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.