South Ayrshire planning approval rate
South Ayrshire council approved 95.2% of planning applications and refused 4.8%, based on 1,081 decisions analysed. Ranked 240th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
95.2%
overall approval rate
1,081
Decisions analysed
1,029
Approved
52
Refused
8
Wards covered
Planning in South Ayrshire? 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 South Ayrshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
94.4%
96.9%
100.0%
100.0%
95.1%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in South Ayrshire, mined from 1,081 proposal descriptions.
99.2%
84.3%
96.9%
94.1%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within South Ayrshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Ayr West
92.0%
Troon
97.7%
Maybole, North Carrick And Coylton
96.0%
Kyle
94.2%
Prestwick
98.1%
Girvan And South Carrick
95.0%
Ayr North
95.6%
Ayr East
100.0%
Wards in South Ayrshire
Ayr West
92.0% approval · 288 decisions
Troon
97.7% approval · 175 decisions
Maybole, North Carrick And Coylton
96.0% approval · 173 decisions
Kyle
94.2% approval · 120 decisions
Prestwick
98.1% approval · 107 decisions
Girvan And South Carrick
95.0% approval · 100 decisions
Ayr North
95.6% approval · 68 decisions
Ayr East
100.0% approval · 34 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in South Ayrshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Re-roofing of dwellinghouse and demolition of existing chimney (retrospective) · Troon · Thu 25 Jun 2026
Alterations and repairs to existing building · Troon · Thu 25 Jun 2026
Alterations and extension to dwellinghouse · Troon · Thu 25 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In South Ayrshire, 1 in 21 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 South Ayrshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for South Ayrshire →
✓ Common refusal reasons in South Ayrshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 1,081 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in South Ayrshire
What is the planning approval rate in South Ayrshire?
Based on 1,081 planning decisions analysed since 2020, South Ayrshire approved 95.2% of applications and refused 4.8%. The council is ranked 240th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in South Ayrshire?
South Ayrshire refuses 4.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 21. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 1,081 decided applications since 2020, 52 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of South Ayrshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in South Ayrshire are in Prestwick (98.1%), Troon (97.7%), and Maybole, North Carrick And Coylton (96.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in South Ayrshire?
The most common planning application types in South Ayrshire are: Other (851 decisions, 94.4% approved), Listed Building (64, 96.9%), and Certificate of Lawfulness (56, 100.0%).
How long does a planning application take in South Ayrshire?
Planning applications in South Ayrshire take an average of 9.6 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 716 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. South Ayrshire decides approximately 180 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in South Ayrshire?
You can search planning applications in South Ayrshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 1,081 historical decisions in South Ayrshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for South Ayrshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes South Ayrshire'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.