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 dates11,978Searchable applications
140Recorded as pending
96%Approval rate · 10,073 approved or refused records
434Refused applications
9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 24 Sept 1979 to 5 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 14 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided17/027/PP
Erect a replacement house (one for one) with integral garage and create accesses
Tullochs Bigging, Weaverhall Road, Stromness, Orkney Islands KW16 3JP
Received 25 Jan 2017 - Decided17/028/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump
Jubilee Court (Plot 2), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 25 Jan 2017 - Decided17/029/HH
Extend a house and install an air source heat pump
Churchill, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2SD
Received 25 Jan 2017 - Decided17/030/LB
Render and paint shop front, replace signage, alter roof and install refrigeration unit (part retrospective)
55 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DN
Received 25 Jan 2017 - Decided17/031/HH
Extend a house
Narvik, Weyland Terrace, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LS
Received 26 Jan 2017 - Decided17/032/LB
Install a television aerial
Flat 1, Ivy House, Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LD
Received 26 Jan 2017 - Decided17/033/LB
Install replacement rainwater goods
Mounthoolie, 10 Laing Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NW
Received 26 Jan 2017 - Decided17/034/HH
Install replacement rainwater goods
Mounthoolie, 10 Laing Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NW
Received 26 Jan 2017 - Decided17/035/PP
Extend a cemetery, erect walls and gates, set concrete plinths for gravestones and create parking
Cross Cemetery (Land Near), How Road, Sanday, Orkney
Received 26 Jan 2017 - Decided17/036/PP
Erect agricultural buildings part slatted
Gorn, Ness Road, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2JS
Received 26 Jan 2017 - Decided17/037/PP
Extend a cemetery, erect walls and gates, set concrete plinths for gravestones and create parking
St Peters Cemetery (Land Near), Kirkhouse Road, South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 26 Jan 2017 - Decided17/038/PP
Extend a cemetery, erect walls and gates, set concrete plinths for gravestones and create parking
St Nicolas Cemetery (Land Near), Cornquoy Road, Holm, Orkney
Received 26 Jan 2017 - Decided17/039/PP
Extend a cemetery, erect walls and gates, set concrete plinths for gravestones and create parking
Orphir Cemetery (Land Near), Gyre Road, Orphir, Orkney
Received 26 Jan 2017 - Decided17/040/PP
Install two air source heat pumps
Belsair Restaurant, Belsair, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2BJ
Received 26 Jan 2017 - Decided17/041/PIP
Siting of a replacement house (one for one) and create an access
Sunnybraes (Land Near), Houton Road, Orphir, Orkney, KW17 2RD
Received 27 Jan 2017 - Decided17/042/PN
Remove two antennas and install three antennas, two dishes and two replacement cabinets
Telephone Exchange, Palace Road, Kirkwall, KW15 1QW
Received 27 Jan 2017 - Decided17/043/PP
Erect a wind break
Co-operative Group Shop, Ferry Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3AE
Received 27 Jan 2017 - Decided17/045/LB
Demolish part of a porch wall, rebuild & re-roof porch
Hall Of Tankerness, Tankerness Hall Road, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QS
Received 30 Jan 2017 - Decided17/046/PP
Install two air source heat pumps
St Ninian's Church, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QJ
Received 30 Jan 2017 - Decided17/047/LB
Install two air source heat pumps
St Ninian's Church, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QJ
Received 30 Jan 2017 - Decided17/049/HH
Re-roof, install rooflights and door, and replacement windows, rainwater goods and render
89 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, KW15 1DQ
Received 2 Feb 2017 - Decided17/050/LB
Form opening in boundary wall and construct adjoining walls
St Peters Cemetery, Kirkhouse Road, South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 1 Feb 2017 - Decided17/051/HH
Install an air source heat pump (retrospective)
9 Leaburn, Burray Village, Burray, Orkney Islands, KW17 2TB
Received 1 Feb 2017 - Decided17/052/PP
Erection of house with attached garage and install an air source heat pump
Thorn Villa (Land Near), Sands Road, Shapinsay, Orkney Islands, KW17 2EA
Received 2 Feb 2017
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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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