Dundee planning approval rate
Dundee council approved 94.2% of planning applications and refused 5.8%, based on 10,603 decisions analysed. Ranked 225th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
94.2%
overall approval rate
10,603
Decisions analysed
9,984
Approved
619
Refused
8
Wards covered
Planning in Dundee? 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 Dundee. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
94.1%
96.9%
100.0%
96.9%
100.0%
92.9%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Dundee, mined from 10,603 proposal descriptions.
98.0%
94.4%
85.9%
95.7%
98.2%
98.8%
98.7%
86.9%
91.1%
97.8%
91.9%
97.0%
92.6%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Dundee. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
The Ferry
94.5%
Maryfield
94.1%
West End
93.6%
Lochee
94.3%
Strathmartine
95.1%
Coldside
93.4%
East End
93.8%
North East
95.7%
Wards in Dundee
The Ferry
94.5% approval · 2,635 decisions
Maryfield
94.1% approval · 2,078 decisions
West End
93.6% approval · 2,049 decisions
Lochee
94.3% approval · 1,091 decisions
Strathmartine
95.1% approval · 799 decisions
Coldside
93.4% approval · 742 decisions
East End
93.8% approval · 593 decisions
North East
95.7% approval · 539 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Dundee, showing how the council decides real applications.
Extension to house and alterations to garage · Lochee · Fri 14 Aug 2026
EX-26-A , Existing Block PlanExisting SVP added to roof area.EX-27-A , Existing · The Ferry · Wed 12 Aug 2026
External alterations associated with conversion of changing rooms to community c · West End · Wed 12 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Dundee, 1 in 17 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 Dundee
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Dundee →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Dundee
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 10,603 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Dundee
What is the planning approval rate in Dundee?
Based on 10,603 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Dundee approved 94.2% of applications and refused 5.8%. The council is ranked 225th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Dundee?
Dundee refuses 5.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 17. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 10,603 decided applications since 2020, 619 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Dundee have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Dundee are in North East (95.7%), Strathmartine (95.1%), and The Ferry (94.5%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Dundee?
The most common planning application types in Dundee are: Other (10,302 decisions, 94.1% approved), Full (192, 96.9%), and Listed Building (44, 100.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Dundee?
Planning applications in Dundee take an average of 11.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 356 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. Dundee decides approximately 1,767 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Dundee?
You can search planning applications in Dundee directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 10,603 historical decisions in Dundee to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Dundee calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Dundee'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.