Planning applications in North Ayrshire

Planning in North Ayrshire

North Ayrshire refuses very few applications. Of the more than 3,400 decided since 2020, only about 1 in 27 was refused, compared with about 1 in 7 across the areas we cover. For almost every kind of home improvement, the odds are good.

Rear extensions are the most common kind of work, with 725 applications, and they are refused about 1 in 87 times. Side extensions, with 351, are about 1 in 63, front extensions and porches, with 239, about 1 in 54, and loft conversions and dormers, with 227, about 1 in 51. The national figure for lofts is about 1 in 5, so a loft conversion is a far safer bet here than in much of the country.

Garden rooms and outbuildings, with 457 applications, are refused about 1 in 31. Windows and doors, with 281, are about 1 in 26, in line with the council overall. Solar panels, with 82, are about 1 in 28, fences, walls and gates, with 112, about 1 in 35, and driveways and dropped kerbs, with 79, about 1 in 36. None of these stands out as a problem, and each is refused far less often than across the areas we cover. Even so, a refusal is possible for any application, so it is worth looking at what has been approved on nearby streets before you settle on a design.

Activity has softened. The busiest year since 2020 was 2021 with 730 applications, and 2025 had 520, against an average of about 590 a year in the three years before. The refusal rate was about the same, at about 1 in 27 compared with about 1 in 30 earlier.

For anyone thinking about planning permission in North Ayrshire, the figures suggest a relaxed local picture, though every application is judged on its own merits.

Figures in this section as of 9 October 2026.