Understanding planning · 13 min read
Planning application documents: what to read first
Understand planning application documents, officer reports and decision notices. Use a reading checklist, document table and worked example to inspect a case.
Scotland · Local authority
Orkney Islands
Planning applications.
Explore collected planning applications and decisions for Orkney Islands. Search an address, application reference or proposal to find a record.
Collected application statistics
Collected records · All available dates11,977Searchable applications
140Recorded as pending
96%Approval rate · 10,072 approved or refused records
434Refused applications
9,638 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 24 Sept 1979 to 5 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 12 Oct 2026. Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.
Local planning information
Council sources checked 14 Sept 2026Planning information Planning and BuildingLocal plan Development and Marine Planning (policy)Pre-application advice Pre-application AdviceConservation areas Conservation Area Consent
Council contacts
- Planning enquiries01856873535Council source
- Planning enquiriesplanning@orkney.gov.ukCouncil source
Contact details were found on council pages. Check the source for opening hours and which enquiries the service handles.
Conservation areas and Article 4 directions
Explore published planning boundaries and follow their source records for designation details. Coverage varies: an empty map does not mean there are no restrictions. Check the council’s current maps and documents before relying on a boundary.
Conservation areas6 mapped area records
Article 4 direction areasBoundary dataset not connected
Interactive planning map loads with JavaScript. Dataset sources are linked below.
Download Article 4 coverage for all authorities (CSV)
Data downloaded 14 Sept 2026. Display boundaries are simplified and indicative. Map record counts are not a complete count of designations or directions.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland. Contains Historic Environment Scotland and Ordnance Survey data © Historic Environment Scotland – Scottish Charity No. SC045925 © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data is indicative and may not contain the latest designations.
More application records
- Decided09/457/PP
Erect a house
Yarrow (Land Near), Burness, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2AZ
Received 16 Oct 2009 - Decided09/458/LB
Display two signs
62-64 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DN
Received 16 Oct 2009 - Decided09/459/PP
Erect an integral garage
Seatter Cottage, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3LN
Received 21 Oct 2009 - Appeal decided09/460/PP
Repair roof with replacement slates, install roof lights and new windows and modify chimney heads (Retrospective)
39 Dundas Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BZ
Received 21 Oct 2009 - Decided09/461/TC
Removal of stem and pruning works
Asgard, 4 Queen Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3AL
Received 21 Oct 2009 - Withdrawn/Returned09/462/PIP
Siting of a house and access
Redbraes (Site 1) (Land Near), Ness Road, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3HA
Received 21 Oct 2009 - Withdrawn/Returned09/463/PIP
Siting of a house and access
Redbraes (Site 2) (Land Near), Ness Road, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3HA
Received 21 Oct 2009 - Withdrawn/Returned09/464/PIP
Siting of a house and access
Redbraes (Site 3) (Land Near), Ness Road, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3HA
Received 21 Oct 2009 - Withdrawn/Returned09/465/PIP
Siting of a house and access
Redbraes (Site 4) (Land Near), Ness Road, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3HA
Received 21 Oct 2009 - Decided09/466/PP
Change of use to part of pre-cast concrete works to waste transfer station
Orkney Aggregates Ltd, Crowness Crescent, Hatston Industrial Estate, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1GJ
Received 22 Oct 2009 - Decided09/467/AD
Display an illuminated sign
Orkney Aggregates Ltd, Crowness Crescent, Hatston Industrial Estate, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1GJ
Received 23 Oct 2009 - Decided09/468/APN
Erect a GP store
Greenatang, Shapinsay, Orkney, KW17 2DY
Received 23 Oct 2009 - Decided09/469/PP
Erect 8 housing units
Meadowbank (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 23 Oct 2009 - Decided09/470/PP
Convert first and second floors to 3 flats, erect new stairwell, demolish existing extensions and erect a new extension to shop
31-33 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HR
Received 27 Oct 2009 - Decided09/471/LB
Internal alterations to convert first and second floors to 3 flats, erect new stairwell, demolish existing extensions and erect a new extension to shop, repair street facing windows on main building and install new double glazed sash and case windows on other elevations, re-roof with Welsh slate and attach cast iron rainwater and drainage goods.
31-33 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HR
Received 27 Oct 2009 - Decided09/472/PP
Erect 12 houses, construct access road and create serviced sites for houses
Land To The Rear Of Cemetery, Finstown, Orkney
Received 27 Oct 2009 - Decided09/473/PP
Harl gable wall
1 Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HP
Received 27 Oct 2009 - Decided09/474/PP
Construct a car park and bin storage area
11 Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HP
Received 27 Oct 2009 - Decided09/475/PP
Erect a slatted court
Rosebank, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QL
Received 28 Oct 2009 - Decided09/476/PP
Erect porch and utility room extensions
Holmfirth, Firth, Orkney, KW15 1TU
Received 28 Oct 2009 - Decided09/477/PP
Extend a house and erect an integral garage
Annson, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3HT
Received 28 Oct 2009 - Decided09/478/PP
Partial demolition of ruinous farm steading buildings, refurbishment of remaining buildings and new building works to create a single dwelling
Lurand, Dwingness, North Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2BE
Received 28 Oct 2009 - Decided09/479/LB
Partial demolition of ruinous farm steading buildings, refurbishment of remaining buildings and new building works to create a single dwelling
Lurand, Dwingness, North Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2BE
Received 28 Oct 2009 - Decided09/480/PP
Extend a house and erect a detached store
Westquoy, Moss Road, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2SA
Received 30 Oct 2009
Records are ordered by application ID, not submission date. Use search to find a particular address or proposal.
View all applicationsResearching a proposal in Orkney Islands
Start with the address or application reference. Open a record to read the proposal, dates and available documents, then check the official register for the latest plans and consultation details. If nothing appears, check coverage before treating the result as a complete planning history.
Planning procedures in Scotland differ from those in England. Use the authority’s own guidance for application requirements, comments and decision timescales.
How to search planning applicationsGuides to planning records
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Understand planning approval rates with an interactive calculator, worked examples and comparison table. Check sample sizes, outcomes and coverage before comparing.
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What these statistics cover
These figures describe applications collected by PlanningTrack for Orkney Islands, across all dates currently available. They are a partial dataset, rather than an authority-wide performance measure. The date range does not establish continuous historical coverage.
The approval percentage is approved records divided by approved plus refused records. Pending, withdrawn and unknown outcomes are excluded. No percentage is shown until there is an approved or refused record.
Check collection coverage