Moray Council approves 98.3% of planning applications, based on 1,150 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Moray sits 10.4 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 Moray.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 793 | 15 | 808 | 98.1% |
| Prior Approval | 160 | 0 | 160 | 100.0% |
| Listed Building | 112 | 1 | 113 | 99.1% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 36 | 2 | 38 | 94.7% |
| Advertisement | 30 | 1 | 31 | 96.8% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speyside Glenlivet | 211 | 4 | 215 | 98.1% |
| Forres | 174 | 2 | 176 | 98.9% |
| Heldon And Laich | 171 | 3 | 174 | 98.3% |
| Fochabers Lhanbryde | 153 | 1 | 154 | 99.4% |
| Keith And Cullen | 140 | 3 | 143 | 97.9% |
| Elgin City South | 119 | 4 | 123 | 96.7% |
| Buckie | 84 | 1 | 85 | 98.8% |
| Elgin City North | 74 | 1 | 75 | 98.7% |
Real residential planning decisions from Moray council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00082/APP Keith And Cullen | Revise house design and position approved under ref 19/00682/APP to erect a dwel | Approved |
| 26/00141/APP Elgin City North | Erect new front porch at | Approved |
| 26/00064/APP Elgin City South | Change of use from domestic to short term let at | Refused |
| 25/01635/APP Forres | Remove barriers and wall to improve access at | Approved |
| 26/00238/APP Elgin City South | Alter and extend dwellinghouse at | Approved |
| 25/01590/APP Keith And Cullen | Retrospective alterations to include air source heat pumps and replacement windo | Approved |
| 25/01589/LBC Keith And Cullen | Retrospective alterations to include air source heat pumps and replacement windo | Approved |
| 26/00111/PNOT Keith And Cullen | Erection of general purpose agricultural building at | Approved |
| 25/01621/APP Fochabers Lhanbryde | Amend kitchen roof design approved under ref 24/01869/APP to flat roof construct | Approved |
| 25/01619/APP Forres | Proposed infill extension to front elevation at | 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 Moray's 1,150 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Dig deeper into Moray's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 1,150 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Moray is 98.3%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,150 planning decisions from Moray council. 1,131 were approved and 19 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Moray is 98.3%, 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.