Highland planning approval rate
Highland council approved 94.4% of planning applications and refused 5.6%, based on 1,987 decisions analysed. Ranked 178th out of 221 councils for strictness.
Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
94.4%
overall approval rate
Planning in Highland?
Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Highland. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Highland — mined from 1,987 proposal descriptions.
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Highland. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Cromarty Firth (201 decided)
98.0%
Caol And Mallaig (181 decided)
93.9%
Inverness West (181 decided)
89.5%
East Sutherland And Edderton (167 decided)
98.8%
Aird And Loch Ness (135 decided)
94.8%
Fort William And Ardnamurchan (114 decided)
90.4%
Eilean A' Cheò (113 decided)
95.6%
North, West And Central Sutherland (111 decided)
97.3%
Wester Ross, Strathpeffer And Lochalsh (82 decided)
100.0%
Dingwall And Seaforth (76 decided)
96.1%
Inverness South (72 decided)
90.3%
Nairn And Cawdor (69 decided)
87.0%
Inverness Ness-Side (60 decided)
95.0%
Badenoch And Strathspey (59 decided)
93.2%
Black Isle (51 decided)
88.2%
Tain And Easter Ross (50 decided)
96.0%
Wick And East Caithness (33 decided)
97.0%
Thurso And North West Caithness (30 decided)
96.7%
Inverness Millburn (29 decided)
96.6%
Inverness Central (24 decided)
95.8%
Wards in Highland
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Highland, showing how the council decides real applications.
26/00211/FUL
Erection of extension · Badenoch And Strathspey · Mon 19 Jan 2026
25/04766/PNO
Erection of agricultural building · North, West And Central Sutherland · Fri 12 Dec 2025
25/04419/PNO
Erection of domestic wind turbine · Thurso And North West Caithness · Wed 19 Nov 2025
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Highland, 1 in 18 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Highland
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Get Highland Pro Report — £79
Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 1,987 decisions.
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