North Lanarkshire planning approval rate
North Lanarkshire council approved 99.8% of planning applications and refused 0.2%, based on 808 decisions analysed. Ranked 279th out of 279 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
99.8%
overall approval rate
Planning in North Lanarkshire?
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 Lanarkshire. 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 North Lanarkshire — mined from 808 proposal descriptions.
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within North Lanarkshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Cumbernauld North (43 decided)
100.0%
Stepps, Chryston And Muirhead (36 decided)
100.0%
Gartcosh, Glenboig And Moodiesburn (30 decided)
96.7%
Airdrie South (26 decided)
100.0%
Fortissat (26 decided)
96.2%
Motherwell South East And Ravenscraig (23 decided)
100.0%
Airdrie Central (22 decided)
100.0%
Airdrie North (21 decided)
100.0%
Wards in North Lanarkshire
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in North Lanarkshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
26/00242/CLP
Removal of existing garage door and installation of a uPVC double-glazed window · Cumbernauld North · Tue 10 Mar 2026
26/00194/CLP
Erect a wall on the boundary at front of property, This will be both sides and p · Motherwell West · Tue 10 Mar 2026
26/00076/CLP
Proposed Single Storey Rear Extension · Motherwell West · Mon 02 Feb 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
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 Lanarkshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for North Lanarkshire →
Free. Based on 808 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in North Lanarkshire
What is the planning approval rate in North Lanarkshire?
Based on 808 planning decisions analysed since 2020, North Lanarkshire approved 99.8% of applications and refused 0.2%. The council is ranked 279th out of 279 UK councils for approval rate.
Which areas of North Lanarkshire have the highest planning approval rates?
Approval rates in North Lanarkshire vary by ward — see the ward breakdown above for detailed figures for each area.
What types of planning application are most common in North Lanarkshire?
The most common planning application types in North Lanarkshire are: Other (808 decisions, 99.8% approved).
How long does a planning application take in North Lanarkshire?
Most planning applications in North Lanarkshire are decided within 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments — the statutory targets set by central government. With 808 decisions analysed since 2020, North Lanarkshire processes approximately 135 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in North Lanarkshire?
You can search planning applications in North Lanarkshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 808 historical decisions in North Lanarkshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for North Lanarkshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes North Lanarkshire'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.