South Lanarkshire planning approval rate
South Lanarkshire council approved 96.8% of planning applications and refused 3.2%, based on 26,352 decisions analysed. Ranked 267th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
96.8%
overall approval rate
26,352
Decisions analysed
25,506
Approved
846
Refused
20
Wards covered
Planning in South Lanarkshire? 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 Lanarkshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
96.8%
96.0%
100.0%
92.3%
100.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in South Lanarkshire, mined from 26,352 proposal descriptions.
99.4%
97.3%
93.6%
99.1%
98.3%
98.6%
96.5%
99.6%
98.1%
99.1%
82.7%
96.7%
98.3%
90.2%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within South Lanarkshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
05 Avondale And Stonehouse
94.8%
03 Clydesdale East
96.7%
02 Clydesdale North
96.0%
16 Bothwell And Uddingston
97.8%
17 Hamilton North And East
97.8%
04 Clydesdale South
96.1%
09 East Kilbride West
96.5%
20 Larkhall
97.5%
01 Clydesdale West
95.9%
13 Cambuslang West
97.5%
14 Cambuslang East
97.7%
18 Hamilton West And Earnock
98.0%
19 Hamilton South
98.3%
08 East Kilbride Central North
96.7%
12 Rutherglen Central And North
96.2%
11 Rutherglen South
96.7%
15 Blantyre
98.1%
06 East Kilbride South
97.8%
10 East Kilbride East
97.0%
07 East Kilbride Central South
96.8%
Wards in South Lanarkshire
05 Avondale And Stonehouse
94.8% approval · 2,784 decisions
03 Clydesdale East
96.7% approval · 2,639 decisions
02 Clydesdale North
96.0% approval · 1,962 decisions
16 Bothwell And Uddingston
97.8% approval · 1,961 decisions
17 Hamilton North And East
97.8% approval · 1,777 decisions
04 Clydesdale South
96.1% approval · 1,646 decisions
09 East Kilbride West
96.5% approval · 1,636 decisions
20 Larkhall
97.5% approval · 1,519 decisions
01 Clydesdale West
95.9% approval · 1,516 decisions
13 Cambuslang West
97.5% approval · 1,142 decisions
14 Cambuslang East
97.7% approval · 1,057 decisions
18 Hamilton West And Earnock
98.0% approval · 969 decisions
19 Hamilton South
98.3% approval · 924 decisions
08 East Kilbride Central North
96.7% approval · 919 decisions
12 Rutherglen Central And North
96.2% approval · 860 decisions
11 Rutherglen South
96.7% approval · 757 decisions
15 Blantyre
98.1% approval · 751 decisions
06 East Kilbride South
97.8% approval · 552 decisions
10 East Kilbride East
97.0% approval · 503 decisions
07 East Kilbride Central South
96.8% approval · 476 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in South Lanarkshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Conversion of attached garage to form habitable accommodation with associated al · 05 Avondale And Stonehouse · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Erection of single-storey extension at rear of dwellinghouse · 10 East Kilbride East · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Erection of single-storey extension at rear of dwellinghouse · 13 Cambuslang West · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In South Lanarkshire, 1 in 31 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 Lanarkshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for South Lanarkshire →
✓ Common refusal reasons in South Lanarkshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 26,352 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in South Lanarkshire
What is the planning approval rate in South Lanarkshire?
Based on 26,352 planning decisions analysed since 2020, South Lanarkshire approved 96.8% of applications and refused 3.2%. The council is ranked 267th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in South Lanarkshire?
South Lanarkshire refuses 3.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 31. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 26,352 decided applications since 2020, 846 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of South Lanarkshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in South Lanarkshire are in 19 Hamilton South (98.3%), 15 Blantyre (98.1%), and 18 Hamilton West And Earnock (98.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in South Lanarkshire?
The most common planning application types in South Lanarkshire are: Other (25,952 decisions, 96.8% approved), Full (249, 96.0%), and Certificate of Lawfulness (52, 98.1%).
How long does a planning application take in South Lanarkshire?
Planning applications in South Lanarkshire take an average of 12.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 631 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 Lanarkshire decides approximately 4,392 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in South Lanarkshire?
You can search planning applications in South Lanarkshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 26,352 historical decisions in South Lanarkshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for South Lanarkshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes South Lanarkshire'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.