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 dates11,387Searchable applications
140Recorded as pending
96%Approval rate · 9,524 approved or refused records
425Refused applications
9,099 approved · 425 refused · 535 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided07/590/PPF
Siting of portacabin for bottling spring water
Cormoss, Calfsound, Eday
Received 23 Oct 2007 - Decided07/591/PPF
Extend a house
Howabreck, Birsay, KW17 2ND
Received 23 Oct 2007 - Decided07/592/PPF
Extend a house
Schoolhouse, Stenness
Received 23 Oct 2007 - Decided07/593/PPF
Erect a house
Near Westness & Corse (Land Near), Rousay
Received 23 Oct 2007 - Withdrawn/Returned07/594/PPF
Convert garages into hotel accommodation
Standing Stones Hotel, Stenness, KW16 3JX
Received 23 Oct 2007 - Decided07/595/PPF
Extend a house
Linver, 45 Reid Crescent, Kirkwall
Received 24 Oct 2007 - Decided07/596/PPF
Extraction of sand
Dale, Burray
Received 25 Oct 2007 - Decided07/597/PPF
Erect 7 detached bungalows
Inganess Road (land Near), Kirkwall
Received 25 Oct 2007 - Decided07/598/PPF
Erect a house and detached garage
Myrtle Cottage, (Site 2), Harray
Received 26 Oct 2007 - Decided07/599/PPF
Erect replacement house
Stonehigh, Evie
Received 29 Oct 2007 - Decided07/600/PPO
Siting of a replacement house
Tullochsbigging, Stromness
Received 29 Oct 2007 - Decided07/601/PPF
Erect a garage
1 Copland's Road, Stromness
Received 29 Oct 2007 - Decided07/602/PPF
Renovate and reinstate former manse and steading to create a house
Old Manse, Innertown, Stromness
Received 29 Oct 2007 - Decided07/603/PPF
Regeneration of community park, including hard and soft landscaping, walls, paving and planting.
Firth Park Community Garden, Finstown
Received 31 Oct 2007 - Decided07/604/PPF
Convert attached outbuilding to residential use, extend and re-roof
Weardeth, Kirbister, Stromness
Received 1 Nov 2007 - Decided07/605/PPF
Erect a garage
Ness View, South End, Stromness, KW16 3JR
Received 1 Nov 2007 - Decided07/606/PPF
Convert mill to dwelling unit
East Denwick, Deerness, KW17 2QJ
Received 5 Nov 2007 - Decided07/607/PPF
Erect house with attached flat underneath
Cunningair, Upper Crantit Road, St Ola, KW15 1RW
Received 5 Nov 2007 - Decided05/785/MAR
Crown Estate Lease: Modification of existing site.
Bay Of Vady Rousay Sound
Received 23 Nov 2005 - Decided05/784/MAR
Crown Estate Lease: Modification of existing site.
Kirk Noust Rousay Sound
Received 23 Nov 2005 - Decided07/608/PPF
Change of use from agricultural land to domestic driveway (RETROSPECTIVE)
Deepdale Cottage, Stromness
Received 6 Nov 2007 - Decided07/609/APN
Erect GP shed
Leaquoy, Stronsay
Received 6 Nov 2007 - Withdrawn/Returned07/610/APN
Erect GP shed
East Moaness, Lyness, KW16 3NX
Received 8 Nov 2007 - Decided07/611/PPF
Erection of a house
The Knowe, Deerness
Received 8 Nov 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