Which ward in Highland has the highest planning approval rate?

Culloden And Ardersier at 100.0% based on 39 decisions.

Which ward in Highland has the lowest planning approval rate?

Nairn And Cawdor at 89.0% based on 91 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Highland?

There is a 11.0% gap between Culloden And Ardersier and Nairn And Cawdor. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Highland

Planning outcomes in Highland are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 11.0% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

2,828 real decisions·21 wards·Updated August 2026

94.9% approved overall. But 143 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in Highland shifts your odds by up to 11.0%. The council average doesn't tell you which side of that gap you're on.

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All 21 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Culloden And Ardersier	39	39	0	100.0%
2	Wester Ross, Strathpeffer And Lochalsh	165	164	1	99.4%
3	East Sutherland And Edderton	197	194	3	98.5%
4	Inverness Millburn	47	46	1	97.9%
5	Cromarty Firth	220	215	5	97.7%
6	North, West And Central Sutherland	155	151	4	97.4%
7	Aird And Loch Ness	220	213	7	96.8%
8	Eilean A' Cheò	190	184	6	96.8%
9	Thurso And North West Caithness	60	58	2	96.7%
10	Wick And East Caithness	83	80	3	96.4%
11	Inverness Ness-Side	77	74	3	96.1%
12	Tain And Easter Ross	85	81	4	95.3%
13	Caol And Mallaig	223	212	11	95.1%
14	Inverness Central	53	50	3	94.3%
15	Dingwall And Seaforth	95	89	6	93.7%
16	Inverness South	104	97	7	93.3%
17	Black Isle	81	75	6	92.6%
18	Fort William And Ardnamurchan	172	156	16	90.7%
19	Inverness West	199	180	19	90.5%
20	Badenoch And Strathspey	139	124	15	89.2%
21	Nairn And Cawdor	91	81	10	89.0%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in Culloden And Ardersier but face serious resistance in Nairn And Cawdor.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

A 11.0% gap separates the best and worst wards. Culloden And Ardersier approves 100.0% of applications while Nairn And Cawdor approves just 89.0%. That's a fundamentally different planning environment.

High volume doesn't mean high approval. Some of the busiest wards aren't the most permissive. The number of applications a ward processes tells you nothing about how likely yours is to succeed.

Ward averages are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your specific outcome depends on your property, your neighbours, your proposal type and the comparable decisions near your address.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

143 planning applications in Highland have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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More Highland planning data

Methodology: Covers 2,828 planning decisions in Highland, January 2020 to August 2026. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from Highland Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →