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
139Recorded 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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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: 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided11/364/PP
Amend planning permission 07/668/PPR to change house type and include a garage and Air Source Heat Pump
Newcastle (Land Near), Burray, Orkney
Received 30 Jun 2011 - Decided11/365/PP
Amend planning permission 10/467/PP to demolish outbuilding and erect a house
Maraquoy (Land Near), Cairston Road, Stromness, Orkney
Received 30 Jun 2011 - Decided11/366/TPP
Erect 2 wind turbines (max. height 18m)
Curquoy Farm, Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PR
Received 30 Jun 2011 - Decided11/367/TPP
Erect 2 wind turbines (max. height 18m)
Avelshay Farm (Land Near), Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PR
Received 30 Jun 2011 - Decided11/368/TPP
Install 2 solar trackers in garden and amend planning permission 08/406/PPF to change turbine height (max. height 18m)
Ervadale Cottage (Land Near), Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PR
Received 30 Jun 2011 - Decided11/369/PP
Re-roof, replace rainwater goods and windows, paint external walls and carry out internal alterations
72B Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BS
Received 1 Jul 2011 - Decided11/370/AMC
Erect a house with integral garage and an air source heat pump
Red Roof (Land Near), (Access From Ness Road), Stromness, Orkney
Received 5 Jul 2011 - Decided11/371/PP
Paint exterior walls, windows, door and fascia board sign and install new signs
11 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HR
Received 5 Jul 2011 - Decided11/372/LB
Paint external walls, windows, door and fascia board sign and install new signs
11 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HR
Received 5 Jul 2011 - Decided11/373/AD
Display new signs
11 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HR
Received 5 Jul 2011 - Decided11/374/PP
Erect a house with a detached double garage and an air source heat pump
Eastaquoy (Land Near), Rousay, Orkney
Received 5 Jul 2011 - Decided11/375/PP
Erect a house with integral garage and an air source heat pump
Grainbank (Plot 2) (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 6 Jul 2011 - Decided11/376/PP
Erect a bedded court
Westness Farm, Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PT
Received 6 Jul 2011 - Decided11/377/APN
Erect a GP shed
Westness Farm, Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PT
Received 6 Jul 2011 - Decided11/378/SCO
Scoping opinion request for 8 wind turbines (max. height 135m)
Island Of Fara, Orkney
Received 6 Jul 2011 - Decided11/379/SCO
Scoping opinion request for 3 wind turbines (max. height 67m)
Skea Brae (Land Near), Sandwick, Orkney
Received 7 Jul 2011 - Decided11/380/APN
Erect a GP shed
Grindally, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2BA
Received 7 Jul 2011 - Decided11/381/TPP
Erect 2 wind turbines (max. height 18.2m)
Barebrecks (Land Near), Orphir, Orkney, KW16 3HD
Received 8 Jul 2011 - Decided11/382/AMC
Erect a house with integral garage, a detached garage and an air source heat pump
West Links (Plot 7) (Land Near), Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SS
Received 8 Jul 2011 - Decided11/383/TPP
Erect 2 wind turbines (max. height 18m)
Mussaquoy (Land Near), Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QQ
Received 12 Jul 2011 - Decided11/384/VR
Vary condition 2 of outline planning permission 08/283/PPO to extend the consent for the siting of a house
Millhouse (Plot 1) (Land Near), Lyness, Hoy
Received 13 Jul 2011 - Decided11/385/PP
Paint external walls and entrance ramp, display advertisements, replace gate, and replace door to public bar
The Orkney Hotel, 40 Victoria Street, Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1DN
Received 13 Jul 2011 - Decided11/386/AD
Display 3 advertisements
The Orkney Hotel, 40 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1DN
Received 14 Jul 2011 - Decided11/387/TPP
Erect 3 wind turbines (max. height 19.1m)
Garth Farm (Land Near), St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1SS
Received 14 Jul 2011
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