The Scottish Government has turned down a request from Renfrewshire Council to change planning law so communities could have the same right of appeal as applicants.
Elected members unanimously called for ministers to amend current legislation to give residents a greater say about what is built and where in their area at the last full council meeting before summer.
As things stand, community councils or other similar forums do not have the chance to formally appeal a planning decision, whereas applicants can take their case to Edinburgh and have local authority calls overturned.
But in a letter to council chiefs, the local government and communities directorate said MSPs had voted against amending the law in 2019 and ministers had "no plans to revisit the matter".
The letter read: "The council may wish to note that the Scottish Parliament, in its consideration of the Planning (Scotland) Bill 2019 - now the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 - considered and rejected similar proposals for the
introduction of a so-called 'third party right of appeal'.
"The Scottish Government has no current plans to revisit the matter at the present time."
Councillor Andy Doig, who led the calls for change in the Renfrewshire chamber, said he was shocked by the reply.
"This is quite a pathetic response to the motion I tabled at the last full council meeting," said the Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood and Lochwinnoch councillor.
"All elected members were aware there was an attempt during 2019 to amend the current act. It was a Green and Labour amendment which the SNP and Tories combined to vote down at committee level.
"There is no justification to defend the unacceptable face of the status quo, where developers have recourse to appeal to Holyrood if refused planning permission but local community councils do not."
At the same meeting, the council also agreed the will of communities should inform the creation of future Local Development Plans (LDPs) at all stages, after a patch of greenbelt land in Burnfoot Road, Lochwinnoch, ended up in the latest LDP against villagers' wishes.
Around half the residents in Lochwinnoch objected to a field in Burnfoot Road being placed in the LDP, but its inclusion was approved by both the council and subsequently the Scottish Government reporter who examined the blueprint.
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