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9,638 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided10/204/PP
Erect a house with integral garage
Weyland Drive (Plot 2) (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 14 Apr 2010 - Withdrawn/Returned10/205/PP
Erect a house with integral garage
Weyland Drive (Plot 4) (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 14 Apr 2010 - Decided10/206/PP
Erect a slatted court
Stratheast, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2SA
Received 14 Apr 2010 - Withdrawn/Returned10/207/PP
Amend planning permission 08/510/PPF to increase height of approved extension, alter window positions and add an external flue
Iona, Lynn Park, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1SL
Received 14 Apr 2010 - Decided10/208/PP
Convert 2 houses to create a climate change interpretation centre, erect a polytunnel, site a portacabin and erect 4 wind turbines (max. height 15m) (amend previously proposed locations)
South Hammer, Westray, Orkney KW17 2DR
Received 16 Apr 2010 - Decided10/209/PP
Convert barn to house
Marston, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2BN
Received 16 Apr 2010 - Decided10/210/PP
Erect a store and a satellite dish
The Rookery, 4 Church Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BA
Received 19 Apr 2010 - Decided10/211/PP
Reinstate, renovate and extend a house
Upper Instabillie, Quoyloo, Orkney, KW16 3LS
Received 19 Apr 2010 - Decided10/212/PP
Extend a house
Hunclett, Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PT
Received 19 Apr 2010 - Decided10/213/PN
Erect a substation
Land To The Rear Of Cemetery, Finstown, Orkney
Received 19 Apr 2010 - Decided10/214/LB
Install an air source heat pump
Westness House, Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PT
Received 19 Apr 2010 - Decided10/215/PP
Convert former church to a house (Retrospective)
The Old Kirk, Swannay, Orkney, KW17 2NS
Received 19 Apr 2010 - Decided10/216/PP
Erect a house (amendment to partially implemented planning permission 98/232/PPR)
Upper Scapa (Site 2) (Land Near), St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1SD
Received 19 Apr 2010 - Decided10/217/PP
Convert former stable to a granny flat
Avelshay, Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PR
Received 20 Apr 2010 - Decided10/218/PP
Erect a GP shed
Brough, Westray, Orkney
Received 22 Apr 2010 - Withdrawn/Returned10/219/PP
Erect a replacement house
Smithy Cottage (Land Near), Orphir, Orkney
Received 22 Apr 2010 - Decided10/220/PP
Erect a shed with cattle housing
Hurtiso, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2SB
Received 22 Apr 2010 - Decided10/221/PP
Extend a house
Malba, 13 George Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1PW
Received 22 Apr 2010 - Decided10/222/APN
Erect a bedded court and bull pen shed
Millburn Farm, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2LA
Received 23 Apr 2010 - Decided10/223/APN
Erect 2 polytunnels and a shed
South Hammer, Westside, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DR
Received 23 Apr 2010 - Decided10/224/LB
Change of use to energy interpretation centre and provision of parking area.
South Hammer, Westside, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DR
Received 23 Apr 2010 - Decided10/225/PP
Erect a replacement house
Flanders, Twatt Dounby Orkney, KW17 2JH
Received 27 Apr 2010 - Decided10/226/AMC
Erect a replacement house
Sunnybank (Land Near), Harray, Orkney, KW17 2JR
Received 27 Apr 2010 - Decided10/227/PP
Re-point walls, repair roof, install new doors and windows and carry out internal works
Sailhouse Adjacent To 44 Alfred Street, Stromness, Orkney
Received 27 Apr 2010
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
All planning guides
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Planning permission drawings: how to read plans
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