West Lothian Council approves 90.7% of planning applications, based on 13,706 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. West Lothian sits 2.1 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 586 decided applications, West Lothian Council approved 84.1% of planning applications in 2025. Across 13,706 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in West Lothian is 90.7%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of West Lothian council planning portal records · Updated August 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in West Lothian.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 12,224 | 1,229 | 13,453 | 90.9% |
| Full | 110 | 0 | 110 | 100.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 35 | 38 | 73 | 47.9% |
| Advertisement | 32 | 0 | 32 | 100.0% |
| Listed Building | 16 | 0 | 16 | 100.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 10 | 1 | 11 | 90.9% |
| Trees | 4 | 3 | 7 | 57.1% |
| Prior Approval | 4 | 0 | 4 | 100.0% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linlithgow | 2,572 | 220 | 2,792 | 92.1% |
| Broxburn, Uphall & Winchburgh | 1,553 | 154 | 1,707 | 91.0% |
| East Livingston & East Calder | 1,523 | 173 | 1,696 | 89.8% |
| Livingston South | 1,385 | 99 | 1,484 | 93.3% |
| Bathgate | 1,190 | 139 | 1,329 | 89.5% |
| Fauldhouse & The Breich Valley | 1,181 | 121 | 1,302 | 90.7% |
| Whitburn & Blackburn | 1,104 | 125 | 1,229 | 89.8% |
| Armadale & Blackridge | 1,084 | 144 | 1,228 | 88.3% |
| Livingston North | 828 | 94 | 922 | 89.8% |
| Blank Field | 11 | 1 | 12 | 91.7% |
How West Lothian’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 2.8pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from West Lothian council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 0855/FUL/25 Linlithgow | Erection of a 1.5 storey house and single garage and demolition of existing gara | Approved |
| 0838/P/25 East Livingston & East Calder | Planning permission in principle for the erection of a house | Approved |
| 0328/FUL/26 East Livingston & East Calder | Replacement of container based storage facility with 365sqm rolling stock builid | Approved |
| 0442/H/26 Livingston South | Extension to house | Approved |
| 0414/H/26 Fauldhouse & The Breich Valley | Extension and alterations to house | Approved |
| 0437/H/26 East Livingston & East Calder | Extension to house | Approved |
| 0159/FUL/26 Fauldhouse & The Breich Valley | Erection of a house with temporary siting of modular living unit for site accomm | Approved |
| 0461/H/26 Whitburn & Blackburn | Extension to house (amendment to planning permission ref: 0075/H/26) | Approved |
| 0472/FUL/26 Bathgate | Change of use from house to short term let | Approved |
| 0436/FUL/26 Bathgate | Alterations to shopfront to form banking hub | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on West Lothian's 13,706 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare West Lothian's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into West Lothian's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for West Lothian. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 13,706 real decisions from West Lothian council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on West Lothian's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 13,706 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in West Lothian is 90.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 13,706 planning decisions from West Lothian council. 12,435 were approved and 1,271 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in West Lothian is 90.7%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in West Lothian? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.