Shetland Council approves 97.7% of planning applications, based on 436 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Shetland sits 9.4 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 239 decided applications, Shetland Council approved 97.5% of planning applications in 2025. Across 436 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Shetland is 97.7%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Shetland council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, 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 Shetland.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 171 | 7 | 178 | 96.1% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 122 | 0 | 122 | 100.0% |
| Other | 53 | 2 | 55 | 96.4% |
| Prior Approval | 43 | 0 | 43 | 100.0% |
| Listed Building | 21 | 0 | 21 | 100.0% |
| Advertisement | 8 | 0 | 8 | 100.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 5 | 1 | 6 | 83.3% |
| Trees | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100.0% |
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, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lerwick | 74 | 0 | 74 | 100.0% |
| Tingwall, Whiteness & Weisdale | 31 | 2 | 33 | 93.9% |
| Dunrossness | 26 | 1 | 27 | 96.3% |
| Delting | 25 | 0 | 25 | 100.0% |
| Gulberwick, Quarff & Cunningsburgh | 20 | 2 | 22 | 90.9% |
| Yell | 17 | 0 | 17 | 100.0% |
| Scalloway | 15 | 0 | 15 | 100.0% |
| Sandness & Walls | 11 | 2 | 13 | 84.6% |
| Burra & Trondra | 12 | 1 | 13 | 92.3% |
| Northmavine | 12 | 0 | 12 | 100.0% |
| Sandwick | 10 | 0 | 10 | 100.0% |
| Unst | 8 | 1 | 9 | 88.9% |
| Nesting & Lunnasting | 7 | 1 | 8 | 87.5% |
| Aithsting & Sandsting | 8 | 0 | 8 | 100.0% |
| Whalsay | 7 | 0 | 7 | 100.0% |
How Shetland’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.5pp since 2025.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Shetland council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 2026/071/PPF Whalsay | Erection of an agricultural shed, the formation of a new access track and instal | Approved |
| 2026/083/PPF Delting | Erection of detached domestic garage | Approved |
| 2026/078/PPF Burra & Trondra | Change of use from dwellinghouse (Class 9) to private artists' studio (Class 4) | Approved |
| 2026/074/PPF Scalloway | Installation of roof mounted solar panels and associated equipment to existing r | Approved |
| 2026/091/LBC Lerwick | To demolish and rebuild an extension of the existing building on the same footpr | Approved |
| 2025/173/PPF Sandness & Walls | Conversion of a single storey bakery to form 3no. flats. | Refused |
| 2026/082/LBC Dunrossness | Internal alterations including the removal of pews, pulpit, internal dais; remov | Approved |
| 2026/065/PPF Delting | Erection of Single storey side extension and alterations to fenestration | Approved |
| 2026/039/PPF Yell | To construct sauna, upgrade existing access road and parking area and form new s | Approved |
| 2025/257/PPP Burra & Trondra | To erect 7 detached dwellinghouses; install associated drainage and road infrast | Refused |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Shetland's 436 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Shetland's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Shetland's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Shetland. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 436 real decisions from Shetland council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Shetland's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 436 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Shetland is 97.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 436 planning decisions from Shetland council. 426 were approved and 10 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Shetland is 97.7%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Shetland? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.