Moray planning approval rate
Moray council approved 97.9% of planning applications and refused 2.1%, based on 1,583 decisions analysed. Ranked 278th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
97.9%
overall approval rate
1,583
Decisions analysed
1,549
Approved
34
Refused
8
Wards covered
Planning in Moray? 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 Moray. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
97.7%
98.8%
100.0%
95.2%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Moray, mined from 1,583 proposal descriptions.
95.8%
97.8%
100.0%
97.3%
96.0%
100.0%
94.7%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Moray. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Speyside Glenlivet
97.4%
Forres
99.2%
Heldon And Laich
96.7%
Fochabers Lhanbryde
98.7%
Keith And Cullen
97.0%
Elgin City South
97.6%
Elgin City North
97.3%
Buckie
99.1%
Wards in Moray
Speyside Glenlivet
97.4% approval · 274 decisions
Forres
99.2% approval · 250 decisions
Heldon And Laich
96.7% approval · 241 decisions
Fochabers Lhanbryde
98.7% approval · 228 decisions
Keith And Cullen
97.0% approval · 200 decisions
Elgin City South
97.6% approval · 165 decisions
Elgin City North
97.3% approval · 112 decisions
Buckie
99.1% approval · 108 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Moray, showing how the council decides real applications.
Revise house design approved under ref 14/00970/APP at · Speyside Glenlivet · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Demolish nissen hut and erect dwellinghouse on · Fochabers Lhanbryde · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Erect dwellinghouse on · Keith And Cullen · Thu 20 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Moray, 1 in 48 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Moray
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Moray →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Moray
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 1,583 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Moray
What is the planning approval rate in Moray?
Based on 1,583 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Moray approved 97.9% of applications and refused 2.1%. The council is ranked 278th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Moray?
Moray refuses 2.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 48. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 1,583 decided applications since 2020, 34 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Moray have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Moray are in Forres (99.2%), Buckie (99.1%), and Fochabers Lhanbryde (98.7%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Moray?
The most common planning application types in Moray are: Other (1,175 decisions, 97.7% approved), Listed Building (161, 98.8%), and Prior Approval (159, 100.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Moray?
Planning applications in Moray take an average of 10.3 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,582 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Moray decides approximately 264 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Moray?
You can search planning applications in Moray directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 1,583 historical decisions in Moray to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Moray calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Moray's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.