West Lothian planning approval rate
West Lothian council approved 90.7% of planning applications and refused 9.3%, based on 13,717 decisions analysed. Ranked 138th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
90.7%
overall approval rate
13,717
Decisions analysed
12,446
Approved
1,271
Refused
10
Wards covered
Planning in West Lothian? 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 West Lothian. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
90.9%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
91.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in West Lothian, mined from 13,717 proposal descriptions.
95.3%
91.6%
84.9%
88.6%
89.2%
97.0%
95.4%
86.0%
85.0%
95.5%
93.3%
83.3%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within West Lothian. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Linlithgow
92.1%
Broxburn, Uphall & Winchburgh
91.0%
East Livingston & East Calder
89.8%
Livingston South
93.3%
Bathgate
89.6%
Fauldhouse & The Breich Valley
90.7%
Armadale & Blackridge
88.3%
Whitburn & Blackburn
89.8%
Livingston North
89.8%
Wards in West Lothian
Linlithgow
92.1% approval · 2,794 decisions
Broxburn, Uphall & Winchburgh
91.0% approval · 1,708 decisions
East Livingston & East Calder
89.8% approval · 1,699 decisions
Livingston South
93.3% approval · 1,486 decisions
Bathgate
89.6% approval · 1,331 decisions
Fauldhouse & The Breich Valley
90.7% approval · 1,302 decisions
Armadale & Blackridge
88.3% approval · 1,229 decisions
Whitburn & Blackburn
89.8% approval · 1,229 decisions
Livingston North
89.8% approval · 922 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in West Lothian, showing how the council decides real applications.
Change of use from open space to private garden ground and erection of 1.1m fenc · Livingston South · Wed 19 Aug 2026
Extension to house · East Livingston & East Calder · Mon 17 Aug 2026
Change of use from open space to private garden ground and erection of garage · Broxburn, Uphall & Winchburgh · Mon 17 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In West Lothian, 1 in 11 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 West Lothian
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for West Lothian →
✓ Common refusal reasons in West Lothian
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 13,717 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in West Lothian
What is the planning approval rate in West Lothian?
Based on 13,717 planning decisions analysed since 2020, West Lothian approved 90.7% of applications and refused 9.3%. The council is ranked 138th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in West Lothian?
West Lothian refuses 9.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 11. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 13,717 decided applications since 2020, 1,271 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of West Lothian have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in West Lothian are in Livingston South (93.3%), Linlithgow (92.1%), and Broxburn, Uphall & Winchburgh (91.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in West Lothian?
The most common planning application types in West Lothian are: Other (13,458 decisions, 90.9% approved), Full (112, 100.0%), and Certificate of Lawfulness (75, 49.3%).
How long does a planning application take in West Lothian?
Planning applications in West Lothian take an average of 11.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 383 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. West Lothian decides approximately 2,286 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in West Lothian?
You can search planning applications in West Lothian directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 13,717 historical decisions in West Lothian to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for West Lothian calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes West Lothian'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.