Renfrewshire planning approval rate
Renfrewshire council approved 96.4% of planning applications and refused 3.6%, based on 3,761 decisions analysed. Ranked 272nd out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
96.4%
overall approval rate
3,761
Decisions analysed
3,625
Approved
136
Refused
12
Wards covered
Planning in Renfrewshire? 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 Renfrewshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
95.9%
98.2%
100.0%
94.3%
98.3%
97.0%
90.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Renfrewshire, mined from 3,761 proposal descriptions.
98.9%
93.8%
92.8%
99.1%
98.7%
99.3%
95.4%
100.0%
100.0%
95.8%
100.0%
90.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Renfrewshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
11 - Bishopton, Bridge Of Weir And Langbank
96.3%
9 - Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood And Lochwinnoch
96.3%
10 - Houston, Crosslee And Linwood
96.4%
1 - Renfrew North And Braehead
96.9%
4 - Paisley Northwest
97.3%
5 - Paisley East And Central
97.0%
8 - Johnstone South And Elderslie
95.6%
2 - Renfrew South And Gallowhill
95.5%
3 - Paisley Northeast And Ralston
96.3%
12 - Erskine And Inchinnan
96.9%
7 - Paisley Southwest
98.4%
6 - Paisley Southeast
94.0%
Wards in Renfrewshire
11 - Bishopton, Bridge Of Weir And Langbank
96.3% approval · 630 decisions
9 - Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood And Lochwinnoch
96.3% approval · 486 decisions
10 - Houston, Crosslee And Linwood
96.4% approval · 394 decisions
1 - Renfrew North And Braehead
96.9% approval · 324 decisions
4 - Paisley Northwest
97.3% approval · 291 decisions
5 - Paisley East And Central
97.0% approval · 270 decisions
8 - Johnstone South And Elderslie
95.6% approval · 270 decisions
2 - Renfrew South And Gallowhill
95.5% approval · 246 decisions
3 - Paisley Northeast And Ralston
96.3% approval · 243 decisions
12 - Erskine And Inchinnan
96.9% approval · 226 decisions
7 - Paisley Southwest
98.4% approval · 184 decisions
6 - Paisley Southeast
94.0% approval · 183 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Renfrewshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of single storey rear extension to dwellinghouse · 3 - Paisley Northeast And Ralston · Fri 07 Aug 2026
Installation of a Automated Teller Machine (ATM) to frontage of unit · 12 - Erskine And Inchinnan · Thu 06 Aug 2026
Erection of a single storey porch extension and single story rear extension to d · 1 - Renfrew North And Braehead · Thu 06 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Renfrewshire, 1 in 28 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 Renfrewshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Renfrewshire →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Renfrewshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 3,761 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Renfrewshire
What is the planning approval rate in Renfrewshire?
Based on 3,761 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Renfrewshire approved 96.4% of applications and refused 3.6%. The council is ranked 272nd out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Renfrewshire?
Renfrewshire refuses 3.6% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 28. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 3,761 decided applications since 2020, 136 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Renfrewshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Renfrewshire are in 7 - Paisley Southwest (98.4%), 4 - Paisley Northwest (97.3%), and 5 - Paisley East And Central (97.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Renfrewshire?
The most common planning application types in Renfrewshire are: Other (2,680 decisions, 95.9% approved), Trees (382, 98.2%), and Certificate of Lawfulness (251, 100.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Renfrewshire?
Planning applications in Renfrewshire take an average of 12.3 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 3,719 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. Renfrewshire decides approximately 627 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Renfrewshire?
You can search planning applications in Renfrewshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 3,761 historical decisions in Renfrewshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Renfrewshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Renfrewshire'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.