Falkirk planning approval rate
Falkirk council approved 99.2% of planning applications and refused 0.8%, based on 1,041 decisions analysed. Ranked 289th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
99.2%
overall approval rate
1,041
Decisions analysed
1,033
Approved
8
Refused
9
Wards covered
Planning in Falkirk? 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 Falkirk. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
99.2%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Falkirk, mined from 1,041 proposal descriptions.
99.4%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Falkirk. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst
99.2%
Falkirk South
99.2%
Upper Braes
98.5%
Bo'ness and Blackness
99.2%
Bonnybridge and Larbert
99.2%
Falkirk North
99.1%
Lower Braes
99.0%
Denny and Banknock
100.0%
Grangemouth
100.0%
Wards in Falkirk
Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst
99.2% approval · 133 decisions
Falkirk South
99.2% approval · 132 decisions
Upper Braes
98.5% approval · 130 decisions
Bo'ness and Blackness
99.2% approval · 126 decisions
Bonnybridge and Larbert
99.2% approval · 118 decisions
Falkirk North
99.1% approval · 117 decisions
Lower Braes
99.0% approval · 97 decisions
Denny and Banknock
100.0% approval · 94 decisions
Grangemouth
100.0% approval · 88 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Falkirk, showing how the council decides real applications.
Construction of Outbuilding · Falkirk South · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Alterations and Extension to Dwellinghouse · Denny and Banknock · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Alterations and Extension of Builders Merchant · Falkirk North · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
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 Falkirk
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Falkirk →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Falkirk
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 1,041 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Falkirk
What is the planning approval rate in Falkirk?
Based on 1,041 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Falkirk approved 99.2% of applications and refused 0.8%. The council is ranked 289th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Falkirk?
Falkirk refuses 0.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 125. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 1,041 decided applications since 2020, 8 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Falkirk have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Falkirk are in Denny and Banknock (100.0%), Grangemouth (100.0%), and Bonnybridge and Larbert (99.2%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Falkirk?
The most common planning application types in Falkirk are: Other (925 decisions, 99.2% approved), Listed Building (50, 100.0%), and Advertisement (48, 100.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Falkirk?
Planning applications in Falkirk take an average of 10.0 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,035 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. Falkirk decides approximately 174 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Falkirk?
You can search planning applications in Falkirk directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 1,041 historical decisions in Falkirk to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Falkirk calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Falkirk'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.