Highland Council approves 94.9% of planning applications, based on 2,828 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Highland sits 6.3 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 161 decided applications, Highland Council approved 98.8% of planning applications in 2025. Across 2,828 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Highland is 94.9%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Highland council planning portal records · Updated August 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 Highland.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 1,972 | 117 | 2,089 | 94.4% |
| Full | 451 | 20 | 471 | 95.8% |
| Prior Approval | 200 | 2 | 202 | 99.0% |
| Listed Building | 33 | 1 | 34 | 97.1% |
| Advertisement | 18 | 0 | 18 | 100.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 8 | 0 | 8 | 100.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 3 | 3 | 6 | 50.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caol And Mallaig | 212 | 11 | 223 | 95.1% |
| Cromarty Firth | 215 | 5 | 220 | 97.7% |
| Aird And Loch Ness | 213 | 7 | 220 | 96.8% |
| Inverness West | 180 | 19 | 199 | 90.5% |
| East Sutherland And Edderton | 194 | 3 | 197 | 98.5% |
| Eilean A' Cheò | 184 | 6 | 190 | 96.8% |
| Fort William And Ardnamurchan | 156 | 16 | 172 | 90.7% |
| Wester Ross, Strathpeffer And Lochalsh | 164 | 1 | 165 | 99.4% |
| North, West And Central Sutherland | 151 | 4 | 155 | 97.4% |
| Badenoch And Strathspey | 124 | 15 | 139 | 89.2% |
| Inverness South | 97 | 7 | 104 | 93.3% |
| Dingwall And Seaforth | 89 | 6 | 95 | 93.7% |
| Nairn And Cawdor | 81 | 10 | 91 | 89.0% |
| Tain And Easter Ross | 81 | 4 | 85 | 95.3% |
| Wick And East Caithness | 80 | 3 | 83 | 96.4% |
| Black Isle | 75 | 6 | 81 | 92.6% |
| Inverness Ness-Side | 74 | 3 | 77 | 96.1% |
| Thurso And North West Caithness | 58 | 2 | 60 | 96.7% |
| Inverness Central | 50 | 3 | 53 | 94.3% |
| Inverness Millburn | 46 | 1 | 47 | 97.9% |
| Culloden And Ardersier | 39 | 0 | 39 | 100.0% |
How Highland’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 1.8pp since 2021.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Highland council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/02726/LBC Inverness Central | Exterior steps and platt providing access to flats | Approved |
| 26/02350/FUL North, West And Central Sutherland | Erection of sunroom | Approved |
| 26/02203/FUL Aird And Loch Ness | Installation of rooflights, conversion of vestry | Approved |
| 26/01679/FUL Dingwall And Seaforth | Erection of building for storage (Retrospective) | Approved |
| 26/01451/FUL Inverness West | Alterations and rear extension, creation of short-term let accommodation and for | Approved |
| 26/01450/LBC Inverness West | Alterations and rear extension, creation of short-term let accommodation and for | Approved |
| 25/04929/FUL Cromarty Firth | Erection of house | Approved |
| 26/02855/ADV Inverness Millburn | Erection of fascia signs | Approved |
| 26/00980/FUL Caol And Mallaig | Window replacements, erection of porch, new spire, internal alterations | Approved |
| 26/00982/LBC | Window replacements, erection of porch, new spire, internal alterations | 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 Highland's 2,828 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Highland's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Highland'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 Highland. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 2,828 real decisions from Highland 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 Highland'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 2,828 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Highland is 94.9%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,828 planning decisions from Highland council. 2,685 were approved and 143 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Highland is 94.9%, 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 Highland? 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.