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

19 Hamilton South at 98.3% based on 917 decisions.

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

05 Avondale And Stonehouse at 94.9% based on 2,765 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across South Lanarkshire?

There is a 3.4% 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 3.4% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

26,166 real decisions·20 wards·Updated June 2026

96.8% approved overall. But 834 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in South Lanarkshire shifts your odds by up to 3.4%. 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	917	901	16	98.3%
2	15 Blantyre	750	736	14	98.1%
3	18 Hamilton West And Earnock	965	946	19	98.0%
4	17 Hamilton North And East	1,763	1,724	39	97.8%
5	06 East Kilbride South	551	539	12	97.8%
6	16 Bothwell And Uddingston	1,953	1,909	44	97.7%
7	14 Cambuslang East	1,051	1,027	24	97.7%
8	13 Cambuslang West	1,133	1,106	27	97.6%
9	20 Larkhall	1,513	1,476	37	97.6%
10	10 East Kilbride East	496	481	15	97.0%
11	07 East Kilbride Central South	473	458	15	96.8%
12	03 Clydesdale East	2,616	2,530	86	96.7%
13	08 East Kilbride Central North	911	881	30	96.7%
14	11 Rutherglen South	748	723	25	96.7%
15	09 East Kilbride West	1,621	1,565	56	96.5%
16	12 Rutherglen Central And North	854	822	32	96.3%
17	02 Clydesdale North	1,943	1,867	76	96.1%
18	04 Clydesdale South	1,635	1,572	63	96.1%
19	01 Clydesdale West	1,506	1,444	62	95.9%
20	05 Avondale And Stonehouse	2,765	2,623	142	94.9%

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 3.4% gap separates the best and worst wards. 19 Hamilton South approves 98.3% of applications while 05 Avondale And Stonehouse approves just 94.9%. 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

834 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 26,166 planning decisions in South Lanarkshire, January 2020 to present. 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 →