Which ward in Fife has the highest planning approval rate?

Kirkcaldy Central at 97.0% based on 197 decisions.

Which ward in Fife has the lowest planning approval rate?

Lochgelly, Cardenden And Benarty at 83.3% based on 42 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Fife?

There is a 13.7% gap between Kirkcaldy Central and Lochgelly, Cardenden And Benarty. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Fife

Planning outcomes in Fife are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 13.7% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

5,821 real decisions·24 wards·Updated June 2026

All 24 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Kirkcaldy Central	197	191	6	97.0%
2	Rosyth	138	132	6	95.7%
3	Kirkcaldy East	157	149	8	94.9%
4	Dunfermline North	118	112	6	94.9%
5	Burntisland, Kinghorn And West Kirkcaldy	256	240	16	93.8%
6	Tay Bridgehead	227	212	15	93.4%
7	Kirkcaldy North	74	69	5	93.2%
8	Glenrothes West And Kinglassie	87	81	6	93.1%
9	Leven, Kennoway And Largo	250	232	18	92.8%
10	Dunfermline South	109	101	8	92.7%
11	Dunfermline Central	327	302	25	92.4%
12	St. Andrews	726	667	59	91.9%
13	Cupar	377	345	32	91.5%
14	Buckhaven, Methil And Wemyss Villages	101	92	9	91.1%
15	West Fife And Coastal Villages	334	304	30	91.0%
16	East Neuk And Landward	833	751	82	90.2%
17	Glenrothes North, Leslie And Markinch	218	196	22	89.9%
18	Cowdenbeath	136	122	14	89.7%
19	Inverkeithing And Dalgety Bay	253	222	31	87.7%
20	Howe Of Fife And Tay Coast	575	499	76	86.8%
21	Glenrothes Central And Thornton	144	124	20	86.1%
22	The Lochs	72	61	11	84.7%
23	Lochgelly And Cardenden	52	44	8	84.6%
24	Lochgelly, Cardenden And Benarty	42	35	7	83.3%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in Kirkcaldy Central but face serious resistance in Lochgelly, Cardenden And Benarty.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

Check My Postcode

What the data tells us

A 13.7% gap separates the best and worst wards. Kirkcaldy Central approves 97.0% of applications while Lochgelly, Cardenden And Benarty approves just 83.3%. That's a fundamentally different planning environment.

High volume doesn't mean high approval. Some of the busiest wards aren't the most permissive. The number of applications a ward processes tells you nothing about how likely yours is to succeed.

Ward averages are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your specific outcome depends on your property, your neighbours, your proposal type and the comparable decisions near your address.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

522 planning applications in Fife have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

Check my postcode

Free · Property report emailed in minutes · Based on 3,290,000+ real decisions

More Fife planning data

Nearby councils ward breakdowns

Methodology: Covers 5,821 planning decisions in Fife, January 2020 to present. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from Fife Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →