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 dates11,344Searchable applications
140Recorded as pending
96%Approval rate · 9,484 approved or refused records
424Refused applications
9,060 approved · 424 refused · 534 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 1 Feb 2005 to 5 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 11 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided07/520/PN
Installation of 2 transmission dishes at existing telecommunications tower
Netherfiold, Pierowall, Westray
Received 13 Sept 2007 - Decided07/521/PPF
Paint ground floor front elevation pink
7 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1HR
Received 13 Sept 2007 - Decided07/522/PPF
Alter dwelling and store to form 2 dwelling units
Clairview, Kettletoft, Sanday
Received 13 Sept 2007 - Decided07/523/LB
Paint ground floor front elevation
7 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1HR
Received 13 Sept 2007 - Decided07/524/PPF
Erect house and detached garage
Near Mount Pleasant, Rapness, Westray
Received 14 Sept 2007 - Decided07/525/PPF
Change of use to public house; alter and extend building; and remove sycamores
14 Harbour Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1LE
Received 14 Sept 2007 - Withdrawn/Returned07/526/LB
Change of use to public house
14 Harbour Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1LE
Received 14 Sept 2007 - Decided07/527/PPF
Extend a house
Balfour Cottage, Stenness, KW16 3HA
Received 17 Sept 2007 - Decided07/528/PPF
Extend a house
Christie Park, Heathery Loan, St Ola, KW15 1SY
Received 18 Sept 2007 - Decided07/531/SCO
Scoping for wind turbine project
Vestra Fiold, West Mainland
Received 18 Sept 2007 - Decided07/532/SCO
Scoping for wind turbine project
Quanterness, St Ola
Received 18 Sept 2007 - Decided07/533/SCO
Scoping for wind turbine project
Halcro Head, South Ronaldsay
Received 18 Sept 2007 - Decided07/534/SCO
Scoping for a wind turbine project
Ward Hill, South Ronaldsay
Received 18 Sept 2007 - Decided07/535/SCO
Scoping for wind turbine project
Berriedale, South Ronaldsay
Received 18 Sept 2007 - Decided07/536/SCO
Scoping for wind turbine project
Clestrain, Orphir
Received 18 Sept 2007 - Decided07/537/SCO
Scoping for wind turbine project
Costa, West Mainland
Received 18 Sept 2007 - Decided07/538/SCO
Scoping for wind turbine project
Corrigal, West Mainland
Received 18 Sept 2007 - Decided07/529/PPF
Alterations, extensions and conversion of steading to residential unit
Blowes, Deerness
Received 19 Sept 2007 - Decided07/530/PPF
Extend a house
58 Quoybanks Crescent, Kirkwall, KW15 1EN
Received 19 Sept 2007 - Decided07/539/VR
Remove/amend conditions 4 & 5 of original planning consent (04/21/423/PPF) to allow retention of existing vehicular access
Westshore (Site 6) (Land Near), Burray
Received 21 Sept 2007 - Decided07/542/PPF
Erect house
Stursy (Land Near), Burray
Received 25 Sept 2007 - Decided07/540/PPF
Extend a house
6 King Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1JF
Received 25 Sept 2007 - Decided07/541/LB
Remove monopitched glazed roof and replace with pitched roof in welsh slate over link extension
6 King Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1JF
Received 25 Sept 2007 - Decided07/548/PPF
Change of use from agricultural to library
Golgotha Monastery, Papa Stronsay
Received 25 Sept 2007
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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Read planning drawings, floor plans, elevations and sections. Use labelled diagrams, a drawing comparison table and revision checks to understand a proposal.
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Planning approval rates: how to read council statistics
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