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9,638 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided10/301/PP
Erect a wind turbine (max. height 15m) and install an air source heat pump
Blackhill Cottage, Blackhill Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1FP
Received 3 Jun 2010 - Decided10/302/PP
Erect a refrigerated building for food storage
Orkney Herring Factory, Garson Industrial Estate, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BL
Received 3 Jun 2010 - Decided10/303/PP
Extend a house
Greenwall, Shapinsay, Orkney, KW17 2DY
Received 3 Jun 2010 - Decided10/304/PP
Erect extension to provide cattle housing
Vestrafiold, Quoyloo, Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3LU
Received 3 Jun 2010 - Decided10/305/PP
Demolish existing extension and erect a new extension
Fairleigh, Old Scapa Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1BB
Received 3 Jun 2010 - Decided10/306/PP
Erect a house with integral garage
Weyland Drive (Plot 9) (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 3 Jun 2010 - Decided10/307/PP
Erect a house with integral garage for a rural business
Kingsdale (Land Near), Old Finstown Road, Firth, Orkney, KW15 1TT
Received 3 Jun 2010 - Decided10/308/AMC
Erect a house with integral garage and create vehicular access on to the A961
Bankburn (Land Near), St. Margaret's Hope, Orkney
Received 7 Jun 2010 - Decided10/309/PP
Install a medium frequency (MF) aerial (max. height 10.1m)
Coastguard Hut, St Margaret's Hope, Orkney, KW17 2TG
Received 7 Jun 2010 - Decided10/310/PIP
Siting of a house for a retiring farmer
Ploverha (Land Near), Evie, Orkney, KW17 2PJ
Received 7 Jun 2010 - Decided10/311/PP
Extend a house
Wester Holland, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RW
Received 8 Jun 2010 - Decided10/312/PP
Reinstate, renovate and extend a house and demolish a ruinous outbuilding
Newhouse, Orphir, Orkney
Received 8 Jun 2010 - Decided10/313/PP
Extend a house and install a micro wind turbine on shed roof
Rango Cottage, Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3JB
Received 8 Jun 2010 - Decided10/314/PP
Alterations to part of shop to form a caf�/takeaway
Judith Glue, 25 Broad Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DH
Received 8 Jun 2010 - Decided10/315/PP
Demolish existing extension and erect a new extension
Stoneyhall, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DD
Received 8 Jun 2010 - Decided10/316/PP
Extend cemetery and erect a boundary wall with access gate
Firth Cemetery (Land Near), Finstown, Orkney
Received 8 Jun 2010 - Decided10/317/PP
Extend a house into existing detached study to create additional accommodation (Retrospective)
Lower Leaquoy, Stronsay, Orkney, KW17 2AJ
Received 8 Jun 2010 - Decided10/318/PP
Amend planning permission 09/589/PP to change garage type
West Tankerness Lane (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 11 Jun 2010 - Decided10/319/MAR
Install 12 x 90m circumference cages and a hexagonal barge
South Cava, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Received 11 Jun 2010 - Decided10/320/AMC
Erect 2 semi-detached houses, widen access road and create additional parking
Petticoat Lane (Land Near), Orphir, Orkney
Received 15 Jun 2010 - Withdrawn/Returned10/321/PP
Erect 4 semi-detached houses and create access
Makerhouse (Land Near), Dounby, Orkney
Received 16 Jun 2010 - Decided10/322/PP
Erect a replacement house
Upper Serrigar (Land Near), South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 16 Jun 2010 - Decided10/323/APN
Demolish existing nissen hut and erect a GP shed
Warth, Twatt, Orkney, KW17 2JQ
Received 16 Jun 2010 - Decided10/324/PP
Install a slurry storage tank below existing byre
Sorquoy, Eastside, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2TJ
Received 16 Jun 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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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