East Ayrshire planning approval rate
East Ayrshire council approved 94.5% of planning applications and refused 5.5%, based on 1,629 decisions analysed. Ranked 227th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
94.5%
overall approval rate
1,629
Decisions analysed
1,540
Approved
89
Refused
9
Wards covered
Planning in East Ayrshire? 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 East Ayrshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
94.8%
91.2%
100.0%
93.8%
93.5%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in East Ayrshire, mined from 1,629 proposal descriptions.
97.7%
93.2%
98.8%
86.7%
93.7%
88.9%
100.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within East Ayrshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Annick
92.3%
Cumnock And New Cumnock
97.1%
Kilmarnock West And Crosshouse
94.7%
Ballochmyle
92.1%
Irvine Valley
89.3%
Doon Valley
98.4%
Kilmarnock East And Hurlford
98.3%
Kilmarnock North
100.0%
Kilmarnock South
96.8%
Wards in East Ayrshire
Annick
92.3% approval · 363 decisions
Cumnock And New Cumnock
97.1% approval · 310 decisions
Kilmarnock West And Crosshouse
94.7% approval · 226 decisions
Ballochmyle
92.1% approval · 216 decisions
Irvine Valley
89.3% approval · 169 decisions
Doon Valley
98.4% approval · 129 decisions
Kilmarnock East And Hurlford
98.3% approval · 117 decisions
Kilmarnock North
100.0% approval · 55 decisions
Kilmarnock South
96.8% approval · 31 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in East Ayrshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Proposed extension to dwellinghouse · Ballochmyle · Thu 20 Aug 2026
Re-roofing of an existing dwelling, from slate roof to an anthracite grey interl · Kilmarnock West And Crosshouse · Thu 20 Aug 2026
Proposed single storey extension to rear of semi detached dwellinghouse · Irvine Valley · Thu 20 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In East Ayrshire, 1 in 18 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 East Ayrshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for East Ayrshire →
✓ Common refusal reasons in East Ayrshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 1,629 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in East Ayrshire
What is the planning approval rate in East Ayrshire?
Based on 1,629 planning decisions analysed since 2020, East Ayrshire approved 94.5% of applications and refused 5.5%. The council is ranked 227th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in East Ayrshire?
East Ayrshire refuses 5.5% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 18. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 1,629 decided applications since 2020, 89 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of East Ayrshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in East Ayrshire are in Kilmarnock North (100.0%), Doon Valley (98.4%), and Kilmarnock East And Hurlford (98.3%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in East Ayrshire?
The most common planning application types in East Ayrshire are: Other (1,321 decisions, 94.8% approved), Prior Approval (113, 91.2%), and Certificate of Lawfulness (62, 91.9%).
How long does a planning application take in East Ayrshire?
Planning applications in East Ayrshire take an average of 7.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,622 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. East Ayrshire decides approximately 272 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in East Ayrshire?
You can search planning applications in East Ayrshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 1,629 historical decisions in East Ayrshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for East Ayrshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes East Ayrshire'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.