Shetland planning approval rate
Shetland council approved 97.7% of planning applications and refused 2.3%, based on 436 decisions analysed. Ranked 268th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
97.7%
overall approval rate
Planning in Shetland?
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 Shetland. 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 Shetland, mined from 436 proposal descriptions.
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Shetland. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Lerwick (74 decided)
100.0%
Tingwall, Whiteness & Weisdale (33 decided)
93.9%
Dunrossness (27 decided)
96.3%
Delting (25 decided)
100.0%
Gulberwick, Quarff & Cunningsburgh (22 decided)
90.9%
Wards in Shetland
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Shetland, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of an agricultural shed, the formation of a new access track and instal · Whalsay · Thu 25 Jun 2026
Erection of detached domestic garage · Delting · Tue 16 Jun 2026
Change of use from dwellinghouse (Class 9) to private artists' studio (Class 4) · Burra & Trondra · Tue 16 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 164 comparable decisions. See all 164 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Shetland, 1 in 43 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 Shetland
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Shetland →
Free. Based on 436 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Shetland
What is the planning approval rate in Shetland?
Based on 436 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Shetland approved 97.7% of applications and refused 2.3%. The council is ranked 268th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Shetland?
Shetland refuses 2.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 43. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 436 decided applications since 2020, 10 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Shetland have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Shetland are in Lerwick (100.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Shetland?
The most common planning application types in Shetland are: Full (178 decisions, 96.1% approved), Discharge of Conditions (122, 100.0%), and Other (55, 96.4%).
How long does a planning application take in Shetland?
Planning applications in Shetland take an average of 11.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 427 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. Shetland decides approximately 73 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Shetland?
You can search planning applications in Shetland directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 436 historical decisions in Shetland to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Shetland calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Shetland'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.