Shetland Council approves 98.2% of planning applications, based on 7,699 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Shetland sits 13.2 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 361 decided applications, Shetland Council approved 98.3% of planning applications in 2025. Across 7,699 decisions on record (February 1998 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Shetland is 98.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Shetland council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 3,835 | 75 | 3,910 | 98.1% |
| Full | 3,189 | 56 | 3,245 | 98.3% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 788 | 7 | 795 | 99.1% |
| Prior Approval | 541 | 5 | 546 | 99.1% |
| Listed Building | 294 | 4 | 298 | 98.7% |
| Advertisement | 174 | 0 | 174 | 100.0% |
| Trees | 64 | 0 | 64 | 100.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 27 | 9 | 36 | 75.0% |
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 | 367 | 3 | 370 | 99.2% |
| Tingwall, Whiteness & Weisdale | 134 | 3 | 137 | 97.8% |
| Dunrossness | 126 | 4 | 130 | 96.9% |
| Delting | 129 | 0 | 129 | 100.0% |
| Gulberwick, Quarff & Cunningsburgh | 96 | 4 | 100 | 96.0% |
| Sandness & Walls | 68 | 4 | 72 | 94.4% |
| Scalloway | 59 | 0 | 59 | 100.0% |
| Burra & Trondra | 56 | 1 | 57 | 98.2% |
| Aithsting & Sandsting | 57 | 0 | 57 | 100.0% |
| Sandwick | 56 | 1 | 57 | 98.2% |
| Whalsay | 50 | 0 | 50 | 100.0% |
| Yell | 46 | 0 | 46 | 100.0% |
| Northmavine | 45 | 0 | 45 | 100.0% |
| Nesting & Lunnasting | 42 | 2 | 44 | 95.5% |
| Unst | 42 | 2 | 44 | 95.5% |
| Bressay | 16 | 1 | 17 | 94.1% |
How Shetland’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.4pp since 2018.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026/148/PPF Lerwick | Erection of a shunt reactor, 2.4-metre-high fence with vehicular access gates; e | Approved |
| 2026/136/PPF Nesting & Lunnasting | Single storey extension to north elevation of existing house to accommodate new | Approved |
| 2026/119/LBC Tingwall, Whiteness & Weisdale | Replace all existing double glazed sash and case windows with Nordan triple glaz | Approved |
| 2026/139/LBC Lerwick | Alterations to former hostel building including removal of chimneys, reinstateme | Approved |
| 2026/138/PPF Lerwick | Proposed change of use, restoration and conversion of former hostel building and | Approved |
| 2026/163/PPF Lerwick | To demolish existing entrance porch and erect single storey extension to existin | Approved |
| 2025/317/PPF Delting | The erection of 2 no. wind turbines (each with a generating capacity of up to 4. | Approved |
| 2026/150/PPF Unst | Erection of a single storey read extension, decking and soakaway. | Approved |
| 2026/127/PPF Tingwall, Whiteness & Weisdale | To construct single storey extension to south elevation of existing dwelling hou | Approved |
| 2026/109/PPP Tingwall, Whiteness & Weisdale | Planning Permission in Principle for the erection of 1 no. dwellinghouse and ass | Approved |
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 7,699 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 7,699 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 7,699 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Shetland is 98.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 7,699 planning decisions from Shetland council. 7,558 were approved and 141 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, February 1998 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Shetland is 98.2%, 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.