Highland Council approves – of planning applications, based on 2,639 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Highland is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,639 decided applications on record (October 2022 to September 2026), Highland 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 Highland council planning portal records · Data to 29 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 Highland.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | – | – | 2,158 | – |
| Full | – | – | 841 | – |
| Prior Approval | – | – | 257 | – |
| Listed Building | – | – | 57 | – |
| Advertisement | – | – | 25 | – |
| Discharge of Conditions | – | – | 14 | – |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | – | – | 9 | – |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aird And Loch Ness | – | – | 266 | – |
| Caol And Mallaig | – | – | 253 | – |
| Eilean A' Cheò | – | – | 237 | – |
| Cromarty Firth | – | – | 231 | – |
| East Sutherland And Edderton | – | – | 220 | – |
| Fort William And Ardnamurchan | – | – | 217 | – |
| Wester Ross, Strathpeffer And Lochalsh | – | – | 212 | – |
| Inverness West | – | – | 209 | – |
| Badenoch And Strathspey | – | – | 193 | – |
| North, West And Central Sutherland | – | – | 188 | – |
| Inverness South | – | – | 118 | – |
| Wick And East Caithness | – | – | 116 | – |
| Dingwall And Seaforth | – | – | 110 | – |
| Tain And Easter Ross | – | – | 104 | – |
| Black Isle | – | – | 104 | – |
| Nairn And Cawdor | – | – | 102 | – |
| Inverness Ness-Side | – | – | 85 | – |
| Thurso And North West Caithness | – | – | 77 | – |
| Inverness Central | – | – | 63 | – |
| Inverness Millburn | – | – | 62 | – |
| Culloden And Ardersier | – | – | 54 | – |
How Highland’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, unchanged 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/03511/FUL Culloden And Ardersier | Erection of carport | Approved |
| 25/03088/RCC Inverness South | Phase 1 - Form new access and residential roads to serve a new housing developme | Approved |
| 26/00172/PIP Eilean A' Cheò | Erection of house | Approved |
| 26/03606/FUL Culloden And Ardersier | Erection of sun lounge | Approved |
| 25/03937/FUL Inverness Ness-Side | Demolish garage and erect garden room | Approved |
| 26/03341/PAR Badenoch And Strathspey | Demolition of house Class 70 | Approved |
| 26/03257/FUL Fort William And Ardnamurchan | Alterations, erection of walls, replacement roof covering and external stairs wi | Approved |
| 26/03253/FUL Aird And Loch Ness | Erection of a temporary guyed meteorological mast up to 84m and associated infra | Approved |
| 26/03180/FUL Caol And Mallaig | Erection of extension with balcony | Approved |
| 26/03162/FUL Fort William And Ardnamurchan | Alterations to House; Demolition and Erection of Porch and Workshop (domestic us | 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 2,639 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 2,639 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 2,639 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Highland is –. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,639 planning decisions from Highland council. – were approved and – were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, October 2022 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Highland 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 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.