Dumfries & Galloway planning approval rate
Dumfries & Galloway council approved 97.4% of planning applications and refused 2.6%, based on 23,400 decisions analysed. Ranked 280th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
97.4%
overall approval rate
23,400
Decisions analysed
22,801
Approved
599
Refused
13
Wards covered
Planning in Dumfries & Galloway? 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 Dumfries & Galloway. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
97.6%
93.8%
100.0%
93.4%
94.9%
100.0%
97.1%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Dumfries & Galloway, mined from 23,400 proposal descriptions.
99.1%
93.6%
96.2%
97.8%
95.7%
96.8%
100.0%
98.2%
97.1%
96.8%
94.1%
92.3%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Dumfries & Galloway. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Dee And Glenkens
97.2%
Mid Galloway And Wigtown West
96.9%
Annandale North
97.4%
Mid And Upper Nithsdale
97.3%
Annandale East And Eskdale
97.9%
Castle Douglas And Crocketford
97.1%
Annandale South
97.4%
Nith
98.3%
Abbey
96.5%
Stranraer And The Rhins
96.3%
Lochar
98.2%
Mid Galloway
99.2%
North West Dumfries
98.3%
Wards in Dumfries & Galloway
Dee And Glenkens
97.2% approval · 2,735 decisions
Mid Galloway And Wigtown West
96.9% approval · 2,545 decisions
Annandale North
97.4% approval · 2,243 decisions
Mid And Upper Nithsdale
97.3% approval · 2,221 decisions
Annandale East And Eskdale
97.9% approval · 2,042 decisions
Castle Douglas And Crocketford
97.1% approval · 1,884 decisions
Annandale South
97.4% approval · 1,623 decisions
Nith
98.3% approval · 1,562 decisions
Abbey
96.5% approval · 1,545 decisions
Stranraer And The Rhins
96.3% approval · 1,535 decisions
Lochar
98.2% approval · 1,328 decisions
Mid Galloway
99.2% approval · 1,083 decisions
North West Dumfries
98.3% approval · 652 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Dumfries & Galloway, showing how the council decides real applications.
ERECTION OF PORCH TO FRONT ELEVATION AND EXTENSION TO REAR ELEVATION OF DWELLING · Stranraer And The Rhins · Fri 14 Aug 2026
ERECTION OF AGRICULTURAL BUILDING · Abbey · Fri 14 Aug 2026
ERECTION OF STORAGE BUILDING AND FILTER ROOM AND ASSOCIATED WORKS (RETROSPECTIVE · Castle Douglas And Crocketford · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Dumfries & Galloway, 1 in 38 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 Dumfries & Galloway
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Dumfries & Galloway →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Dumfries & Galloway
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 23,400 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Dumfries & Galloway
What is the planning approval rate in Dumfries & Galloway?
Based on 23,400 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Dumfries & Galloway approved 97.4% of applications and refused 2.6%. The council is ranked 280th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Dumfries & Galloway?
Dumfries & Galloway refuses 2.6% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 38. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 23,400 decided applications since 2020, 599 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Dumfries & Galloway have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Dumfries & Galloway are in Mid Galloway (99.2%), Nith (98.3%), and North West Dumfries (98.3%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Dumfries & Galloway?
The most common planning application types in Dumfries & Galloway are: Other (21,920 decisions, 97.6% approved), Full (790, 93.8%), and Prior Approval (289, 100.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Dumfries & Galloway?
Planning applications in Dumfries & Galloway take an average of 6.0 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 2,652 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is inside 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. Dumfries & Galloway decides approximately 3,900 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Dumfries & Galloway?
You can search planning applications in Dumfries & Galloway directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 23,400 historical decisions in Dumfries & Galloway to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Dumfries & Galloway calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Dumfries & Galloway'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.