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Aberdeen Planning Applications: A Complete Guide for Homeowners and Developers

Bhavesh Ramburn

Aberdeen planning applications: which authority handles yours?

Aberdeen sits across two Local Planning Authorities (LPAs). The boundary is not the city limit you might expect — it follows the historic county line, so a property just outside Aberdeen city can still be in Aberdeenshire.

If you are unsure which LPA covers a specific address, both councils provide a “find my council” lookup on their respective home pages, and the national portal at eplanning.scot will accept and route applications once you have selected the right authority.

How the Scottish planning system differs from England and Wales

Planning law is devolved. Aberdeen is in Scotland, so the relevant statute is the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, not the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 that applies in England and Wales.

The everyday consequences are:

  • Permitted Development rights in Scotland are granted by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992 — not the GPDO 2015 used in England. The class numbers and limits are different, and many extensions that fall under English Class A, B, or E require a full application in Scotland.
  • The national Planning Portal (planningportal.co.uk) is an England-and-Wales service. It does not accept Scottish applications. Scotland’s national portal is eplanning.scot.
  • Statutory neighbour-consultation rules and Article 4-style directions operate under different Scottish circulars.

For an England-and-Wales overview of the equivalent Permitted Development regime — useful if you also own a property south of the border — see our guide on Permitted Development Rights in 2026. It is not a substitute for Scottish advice.

How to view or comment on a current Aberdeen planning application

Public access to the live application register is a statutory right under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. There are two ways to find and respond to an application:

  1. Via the relevant council’s portal. Aberdeen City’s planning register is hosted at aberdeencity.gov.uk under Planning and Building Standards. Aberdeenshire’s is at the public-access portal. Both let you search by address, application reference, or ward.
  2. Via eplanning.scot. The national portal aggregates casework from all 32 Scottish LPAs and supports saved searches and email alerts.

Members of the public have at least 14 days from the date an application is advertised (site notice and/or neighbour letter) to submit written comments. Comments must relate to material planning considerations — impact on amenity, design, traffic, ecology, residential amenity, or compliance with the local development plan. Comments that are vexatious or relate solely to private disputes (boundary walls, party walls, loss of a view) cannot be taken into account.

Application fees and statutory timelines

The Scottish Government sets application fees centrally, and the schedule is updated annually. As of the most recent fee order, indicative fees are:

  • Householder application (alterations or extensions to an existing dwelling): around £401.
  • Full planning permission for a new dwelling: around £482 plus £107 for each additional dwelling.
  • Change of use: varies by class, typically £482 or higher.
  • Prior notification / Prior Approval (where applicable under the Scottish GPDO): around £107.

The statutory determination period is 8 weeks for householder and most local applications, and 12 weeks for major developments (defined under the Town and Country Planning (Hierarchy of Developments) (Scotland) Regulations 2009). Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Council generally meet these targets but can extend via a “further information” request, which resets the clock.

When you need full planning permission in Aberdeen

You will need a full application if you are:

  • Building a new dwelling or a new commercial building.
  • Changing the use of a building or land between use classes (the Scottish use-classes order is not identical to the English one).
  • Altering or extending a listed building — Listed Building Consent is a separate application that runs in parallel.
  • Working in a Conservation Area, where many PD rights are withdrawn.
  • Working in a designated area such as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or a National Scenic Area.

For a sense of what triggers a full application in England (and therefore the boundary most readers will recognise), our guide on householder planning permission for a garden office sets out the parallel English test. The English class thresholds do not apply in Scotland.

How to apply

For most Aberdeen applicants the route is:

  1. Pre-application advice. Both councils charge a modest fee for a written pre-app response. This catches the bulk of design and policy issues before you commission drawings.
  2. Commission drawings: location plan (1:1250 or 1:2500), site plan, existing and proposed elevations, design and access statement.
  3. Submit online at eplanning.scot. Paper submissions are still accepted but slow.
  4. Respond to any further-information request within the council’s deadline (usually 14 or 28 days) to avoid the application being treated as withdrawn.

Next steps and resources

Editorial note. This article is for guidance only and does not constitute regulated advice. Aberdeen is in Scotland: planning law is devolved and differs materially from England and Wales. For project-specific questions, consult a chartered planning professional registered with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).