Which ward in South Lanarkshire has the highest planning approval rate?

19 Hamilton South at 98.3% based on 922 decisions.

Which ward in South Lanarkshire has the lowest planning approval rate?

05 Avondale And Stonehouse at 94.8% based on 2,783 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across South Lanarkshire?

There is a 3.5% gap between 19 Hamilton South and 05 Avondale And Stonehouse. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in South Lanarkshire

Planning outcomes in South Lanarkshire are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 3.5% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

26,323 real decisions·20 wards·Updated August 2026

96.8% approved overall. But 842 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in South Lanarkshire shifts your odds by up to 3.5%. The council average doesn't tell you which side of that gap you're on.

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All 20 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	19 Hamilton South	922	906	16	98.3%
2	15 Blantyre	751	737	14	98.1%
3	18 Hamilton West And Earnock	967	948	19	98.0%
4	16 Bothwell And Uddingston	1,959	1,915	44	97.8%
5	17 Hamilton North And East	1,774	1,735	39	97.8%
6	06 East Kilbride South	552	540	12	97.8%
7	14 Cambuslang East	1,057	1,033	24	97.7%
8	20 Larkhall	1,516	1,479	37	97.6%
9	13 Cambuslang West	1,139	1,111	28	97.5%
10	10 East Kilbride East	502	487	15	97.0%
11	07 East Kilbride Central South	475	460	15	96.8%
12	03 Clydesdale East	2,636	2,549	87	96.7%
13	08 East Kilbride Central North	919	889	30	96.7%
14	11 Rutherglen South	756	731	25	96.7%
15	09 East Kilbride West	1,636	1,579	57	96.5%
16	12 Rutherglen Central And North	860	827	33	96.2%
17	02 Clydesdale North	1,958	1,881	77	96.1%
18	04 Clydesdale South	1,644	1,580	64	96.1%
19	01 Clydesdale West	1,515	1,453	62	95.9%
20	05 Avondale And Stonehouse	2,783	2,639	144	94.8%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in 19 Hamilton South but face serious resistance in 05 Avondale And Stonehouse.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

A 3.5% gap separates the best and worst wards. 19 Hamilton South approves 98.3% of applications while 05 Avondale And Stonehouse approves just 94.8%. That's a fundamentally different planning environment.

High volume doesn't mean high approval. Some of the busiest wards aren't the most permissive. The number of applications a ward processes tells you nothing about how likely yours is to succeed.

Ward averages are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your specific outcome depends on your property, your neighbours, your proposal type and the comparable decisions near your address.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

842 planning applications in South Lanarkshire have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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More South Lanarkshire planning data

Methodology: Covers 26,323 planning decisions in South Lanarkshire, January 2020 to August 2026. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from South Lanarkshire Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →