Stirling planning approval rate
Stirling council approved 95.3% of planning applications and refused 4.7%, based on 12,439 decisions analysed. Ranked 250th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
95.3%
overall approval rate
12,439
Decisions analysed
11,853
Approved
586
Refused
7
Wards covered
Planning in Stirling? 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 Stirling. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
95.2%
98.4%
100.0%
95.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Stirling, mined from 12,439 proposal descriptions.
98.6%
92.9%
86.9%
96.7%
98.6%
97.4%
98.7%
96.9%
95.7%
98.6%
100.0%
95.8%
93.3%
97.5%
96.8%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Stirling. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Ward 3 Dunblane & Bridge Of Allan
96.1%
Ward 2 Forth & Endrick
94.5%
Ward 5 Stirling West
94.5%
Ward 4 Stirling North
95.9%
Ward 1 Trossachs & Teith
95.3%
Ward 6 Stirling East
95.7%
Ward 7 Bannockburn
95.2%
Wards in Stirling
Ward 3 Dunblane & Bridge Of Allan
96.1% approval · 2,792 decisions
Ward 2 Forth & Endrick
94.5% approval · 2,753 decisions
Ward 5 Stirling West
94.5% approval · 1,952 decisions
Ward 4 Stirling North
95.9% approval · 1,833 decisions
Ward 1 Trossachs & Teith
95.3% approval · 1,408 decisions
Ward 6 Stirling East
95.7% approval · 875 decisions
Ward 7 Bannockburn
95.2% approval · 818 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Stirling, showing how the council decides real applications.
Extension to rear of property to create open plan kitchen/dining room · Ward 3 Dunblane & Bridge Of Allan · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Rear ground floor extension · Ward 3 Dunblane & Bridge Of Allan · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Erection of a storage container on adjacent land to the south east of the Balfou · Ward 7 Bannockburn · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Stirling, 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 Stirling
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Stirling →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Stirling
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 12,439 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Stirling
What is the planning approval rate in Stirling?
Based on 12,439 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Stirling approved 95.3% of applications and refused 4.7%. The council is ranked 250th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Stirling?
Stirling refuses 4.7% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 21. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 12,439 decided applications since 2020, 586 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Stirling have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Stirling are in Ward 3 Dunblane & Bridge Of Allan (96.1%), Ward 4 Stirling North (95.9%), and Ward 6 Stirling East (95.7%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Stirling?
The most common planning application types in Stirling are: Other (12,082 decisions, 95.2% approved), Full (246, 98.4%), and Listed Building (65, 100.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Stirling?
Planning applications in Stirling take an average of 11.7 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 377 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. Stirling decides approximately 2,073 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Stirling?
You can search planning applications in Stirling directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 12,439 historical decisions in Stirling to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Stirling calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Stirling'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.