Which ward in Fife has the highest planning approval rate?

Kirkcaldy Central at 97.2% based on 212 decisions.

Which ward in Fife has the lowest planning approval rate?

Lochgelly And Cardenden at 84.6% based on 52 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Fife?

There is a 12.6% gap between Kirkcaldy Central and Lochgelly And Cardenden. 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 12.6% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

6,313 real decisions·24 wards·Updated August 2026

All 24 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Kirkcaldy Central	212	206	6	97.2%
2	Rosyth	157	150	7	95.5%
3	Dunfermline North	131	125	6	95.4%
4	Kirkcaldy East	173	164	9	94.8%
5	Burntisland, Kinghorn And West Kirkcaldy	274	257	17	93.8%
6	Kirkcaldy North	79	74	5	93.7%
7	Dunfermline South	125	117	8	93.6%
8	Glenrothes West And Kinglassie	91	85	6	93.4%
9	Leven, Kennoway And Largo	263	245	18	93.2%
10	Dunfermline Central	362	337	25	93.1%
11	Tay Bridgehead	243	226	17	93.0%
12	St. Andrews	789	727	62	92.1%
13	Cupar	402	370	32	92.0%
14	Buckhaven, Methil And Wemyss Villages	111	102	9	91.9%
15	West Fife And Coastal Villages	358	328	30	91.6%
16	Cowdenbeath	149	135	14	90.6%
17	East Neuk And Landward	904	818	86	90.5%
18	Glenrothes North, Leslie And Markinch	247	222	25	89.9%
19	Inverkeithing And Dalgety Bay	279	248	31	88.9%
20	Howe Of Fife And Tay Coast	619	542	77	87.6%
21	Glenrothes Central And Thornton	152	132	20	86.8%
22	Lochgelly, Cardenden And Benarty	51	44	7	86.3%
23	The Lochs	72	61	11	84.7%
24	Lochgelly And Cardenden	52	44	8	84.6%

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 And Cardenden.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

A 12.6% gap separates the best and worst wards. Kirkcaldy Central approves 97.2% of applications while Lochgelly And Cardenden approves just 84.6%. 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

538 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.

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More Fife planning data

Nearby councils ward breakdowns

Methodology: Covers 6,313 planning decisions in Fife, January 2020 to August 2026. 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 →