South Lanarkshire planning approval rate
South Lanarkshire council approved 96.8% of planning applications and refused 3.2%, based on 26,307 decisions analysed. Ranked 274th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
96.8%
overall approval rate
26,307
Decisions analysed
25,468
Approved
839
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%
96.5%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
91.3%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in South Lanarkshire, mined from 26,307 proposal descriptions.
99.4%
97.3%
93.7%
99.1%
98.3%
98.7%
96.6%
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
94.9%
03 Clydesdale East
96.7%
16 Bothwell And Uddingston
97.8%
02 Clydesdale North
96.1%
17 Hamilton North And East
97.8%
04 Clydesdale South
96.2%
09 East Kilbride West
96.5%
20 Larkhall
97.6%
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
94.9% approval · 2,780 decisions
03 Clydesdale East
96.7% approval · 2,632 decisions
16 Bothwell And Uddingston
97.8% approval · 1,958 decisions
02 Clydesdale North
96.1% approval · 1,957 decisions
17 Hamilton North And East
97.8% approval · 1,773 decisions
04 Clydesdale South
96.2% approval · 1,641 decisions
09 East Kilbride West
96.5% approval · 1,635 decisions
20 Larkhall
97.6% approval · 1,516 decisions
01 Clydesdale West
95.9% approval · 1,515 decisions
13 Cambuslang West
97.5% approval · 1,139 decisions
14 Cambuslang East
97.7% approval · 1,057 decisions
18 Hamilton West And Earnock
98.0% approval · 967 decisions
19 Hamilton South
98.3% approval · 922 decisions
08 East Kilbride Central North
96.7% approval · 919 decisions
12 Rutherglen Central And North
96.2% approval · 858 decisions
11 Rutherglen South
96.7% approval · 756 decisions
15 Blantyre
98.1% approval · 751 decisions
06 East Kilbride South
97.8% approval · 552 decisions
10 East Kilbride East
97.0% approval · 502 decisions
07 East Kilbride Central South
96.8% approval · 475 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in South Lanarkshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of a drive-thru restaurant, additional caravan and car parking bays wit · 03 Clydesdale East · Wed 05 Aug 2026
Erection of four jet wash bays, plant room, two air and vacuum units, and associ · 17 Hamilton North And East · Wed 05 Aug 2026
Erection of dwellinghouse and associated works · 03 Clydesdale East · Tue 04 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 26,307 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in South Lanarkshire
What is the planning approval rate in South Lanarkshire?
Based on 26,307 planning decisions analysed since 2020, South Lanarkshire approved 96.8% of applications and refused 3.2%. The council is ranked 274th out of 300 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 26,307 decided applications since 2020, 839 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 (25,941 decisions, 96.8% approved), Full (228, 96.5%), and Certificate of Lawfulness (48, 100.0%).
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 586 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 4,384 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 26,307 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.