North Ayrshire planning approval rate
North Ayrshire council approved 98.1% of planning applications and refused 1.9%, based on 1,380 decisions analysed. Ranked 279th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
98.1%
overall approval rate
1,380
Decisions analysed
1,354
Approved
26
Refused
14
Wards covered
Planning in North Ayrshire? 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 North Ayrshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
98.8%
100.0%
89.6%
98.5%
96.5%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in North Ayrshire, mined from 1,380 proposal descriptions.
100.0%
95.2%
95.1%
98.8%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
83.3%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within North Ayrshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
North Coast
98.6%
Garnock Valley
97.6%
Arran
99.3%
Irvine West
98.2%
Saltcoats And Stevenston
98.1%
Irvine South
95.7%
Irvine East
98.8%
Kilwinning
96.1%
North Coast And Cumbraes
98.1%
Dalry And West Kilbride
95.7%
Ardrossan And Arran
97.8%
Ardrossan
100.0%
Kilbirnie And Beith
100.0%
Wards in North Ayrshire
North Coast
98.6% approval · 355 decisions
Garnock Valley
97.6% approval · 165 decisions
Arran
99.3% approval · 144 decisions
Irvine West
98.2% approval · 109 decisions
Saltcoats And Stevenston
98.1% approval · 106 decisions
Irvine South
95.7% approval · 94 decisions
Irvine East
98.8% approval · 82 decisions
Kilwinning
96.1% approval · 77 decisions
North Coast And Cumbraes
98.1% approval · 53 decisions
Dalry And West Kilbride
95.7% approval · 47 decisions
Ardrossan And Arran
97.8% approval · 46 decisions
Ardrossan
100.0% approval · 46 decisions
Kilbirnie And Beith
100.0% approval · 30 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in North Ayrshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of detached dwelling house and associated means of access, parking and · Irvine East · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Erection of single storey extension to side of detached dwelling house · North Coast · Thu 20 Aug 2026
Extension to Car Park 3 · North Coast · Thu 20 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In North Ayrshire, 1 in 53 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 North Ayrshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for North Ayrshire →
✓ Common refusal reasons in North Ayrshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 1,380 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in North Ayrshire
What is the planning approval rate in North Ayrshire?
Based on 1,380 planning decisions analysed since 2020, North Ayrshire approved 98.1% of applications and refused 1.9%. The council is ranked 279th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in North Ayrshire?
North Ayrshire refuses 1.9% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 53. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 1,380 decided applications since 2020, 26 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of North Ayrshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in North Ayrshire are in Arran (99.3%), Irvine East (98.8%), and North Coast (98.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in North Ayrshire?
The most common planning application types in North Ayrshire are: Full (1,018 decisions, 98.8% approved), Trees (128, 100.0%), and Other (96, 89.6%).
How long does a planning application take in North Ayrshire?
Planning applications in North Ayrshire take an average of 5.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,380 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is inside 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. North Ayrshire decides approximately 230 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in North Ayrshire?
You can search planning applications in North Ayrshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 1,380 historical decisions in North Ayrshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for North Ayrshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes North Ayrshire'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.