Fife Council approves 90.7% of planning applications, based on 5,321 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Fife sits 2.8 percentage points above the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — 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 | 4,828 | 493 | 5,321 | 90.7% |
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.
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 | 702 | 75 | 777 | 90.3% |
| St. Andrews | 602 | 55 | 657 | 91.6% |
| Howe Of Fife And Tay Coast | 467 | 75 | 542 | 86.2% |
| Cupar | 319 | 31 | 350 | 91.1% |
| West Fife And Coastal Villages | 280 | 27 | 307 | 91.2% |
| Dunfermline Central | 276 | 25 | 301 | 91.7% |
| Leven, Kennoway And Largo | 215 | 18 | 233 | 92.3% |
| Burntisland, Kinghorn And West Kirkcaldy | 217 | 12 | 229 | 94.8% |
| Inverkeithing And Dalgety Bay | 191 | 27 | 218 | 87.6% |
| Tay Bridgehead | 189 | 14 | 203 | 93.1% |
| Glenrothes North, Leslie And Markinch | 179 | 21 | 200 | 89.5% |
| Kirkcaldy Central | 173 | 6 | 179 | 96.6% |
| Kirkcaldy East | 134 | 7 | 141 | 95.0% |
| Glenrothes Central And Thornton | 115 | 19 | 134 | 85.8% |
| Cowdenbeath | 105 | 14 | 119 | 88.2% |
| Rosyth | 109 | 6 | 115 | 94.8% |
| Dunfermline North | 97 | 6 | 103 | 94.2% |
| Buckhaven, Methil And Wemyss Villages | 87 | 9 | 96 | 90.6% |
| Dunfermline South | 87 | 8 | 95 | 91.6% |
| Glenrothes West And Kinglassie | 69 | 6 | 75 | 92.0% |
| The Lochs | 61 | 11 | 72 | 84.7% |
| Kirkcaldy North | 65 | 5 | 70 | 92.9% |
| Lochgelly And Cardenden | 44 | 8 | 52 | 84.6% |
| Lochgelly, Cardenden And Benarty | 29 | 7 | 36 | 80.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00086/FULL Howe Of Fife And Tay Coast | Installation of replacement roof covering and erection of single storey extensio | Approved |
| 25/03356/LBC St. Andrews | Listed Building Consent for internal alterations to shop | Approved |
| 25/03357/FULL Glenrothes Central And Thornton | First floor extension to side of dwellinghouse | Approved |
| 25/03022/FULL Dunfermline Central | Formation of ramp to front of commercial property | Approved |
| 25/02892/LBC Leven, Kennoway And Largo | Listed Building Consent for single storey extension and decking to rear and 2 No | Approved |
| 25/02870/LBC Howe Of Fife And Tay Coast | Listed Building Consent for internal/external alterations and extension to dwell | Approved |
| 25/02871/LBC Howe Of Fife And Tay Coast | Listed building consent for internal alterations | Refused |
| 25/02725/LBC St. Andrews | Listed Building Consent for internal alterations and external alterations includ | Approved |
| 25/02583/FULL Glenrothes North, Leslie And Markinch | Single storey extension to side of dwellinghouse | Approved |
| 25/02289/FULL Dunfermline Central | First floor extension to side elevation of dwellinghouse | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Fife's 5,321 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
Get My Pro Report — £79Compare 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:
Based on 5,321 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Fife is 90.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 5,321 planning decisions from Fife council. 4,828 were approved and 493 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Fife is 90.7%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.