Fife Council approves – of planning applications, based on 3,030 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Fife is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 3,030 decided applications on record (June 2025 to September 2026), Fife Council approved – of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Fife council planning portal records · Data to 25 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Fife.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | – | – | 5,403 | – |
| Full | – | – | 587 | – |
| Discharge of Conditions | – | – | 213 | – |
| Listed Building | – | – | 167 | – |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | – | – | 118 | – |
| Prior Approval | – | – | 80 | – |
| Trees | – | – | 55 | – |
| Advertisement | – | – | 35 | – |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Neuk And Landward | – | – | 958 | – |
| St. Andrews | – | – | 821 | – |
| Howe Of Fife And Tay Coast | – | – | 641 | – |
| Cupar | – | – | 425 | – |
| Dunfermline Central | – | – | 391 | – |
| West Fife And Coastal Villages | – | – | 373 | – |
| Inverkeithing And Dalgety Bay | – | – | 295 | – |
| Burntisland, Kinghorn And West Kirkcaldy | – | – | 291 | – |
| Leven, Kennoway And Largo | – | – | 275 | – |
| Glenrothes North, Leslie And Markinch | – | – | 256 | – |
| Tay Bridgehead | – | – | 255 | – |
| Kirkcaldy Central | – | – | 228 | – |
| Kirkcaldy East | – | – | 182 | – |
| Rosyth | – | – | 171 | – |
| Glenrothes Central And Thornton | – | – | 162 | – |
| Cowdenbeath | – | – | 159 | – |
| Dunfermline North | – | – | 141 | – |
| Dunfermline South | – | – | 135 | – |
| Buckhaven, Methil And Wemyss Villages | – | – | 113 | – |
| Glenrothes West And Kinglassie | – | – | 100 | – |
| Kirkcaldy North | – | – | 82 | – |
| The Lochs | – | – | 72 | – |
| Lochgelly, Cardenden And Benarty | – | – | 60 | – |
| Lochgelly And Cardenden | – | – | 52 | – |
How Fife’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, unchanged since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Fife council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/02327/LBC Kirkcaldy East | Listed building consent for installation of replacement roof slates | Approved |
| 26/02074/FULL Dunfermline South | Erection of fence (retrospective) | Approved |
| 20/03227/CND027 West Fife And Coastal Villages | Compliance with Condition 27 of planning permission 20/03227/ARC - EV Parking | Approved |
| 26/02264/FULL Inverkeithing And Dalgety Bay | Porch extension to front of dwellinghouse | Approved |
| 26/02092/FULL Dunfermline South | Alterations and extension to dwellinghouse | Approved |
| 24/03185/FULL Glenrothes West And Kinglassie | Change of use of retail warehouse with restricted non-food retail offer (restric | Approved |
| 26/01668/FULL Glenrothes Central And Thornton | External alterations incorporating the installation of 4 air condenser units, 1 | Approved |
| 26/02210/FULL Dunfermline South | Erection of shed to rear garden (retrospective) | Approved |
| 26/02137/FULL Dunfermline North | Erection of orangery and works to existing retaining wall | Approved |
| 26/01990/FULL Glenrothes North, Leslie And Markinch | Installation of car port to front of dwellinghouse | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Fife's 3,030 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Fife's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Fife's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Fife. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 3,030 real decisions from Fife council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Fife's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 3,030 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Fife is –. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 3,030 planning decisions from Fife council. – were approved and – were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, June 2025 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Fife is –, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Fife? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.