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9,638 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided10/620/PP
Create an all weather pitch with an equipment store and associated floodlighting, and construct parking and manoeuvring area
Hamnavoe (Land Near), (Access From Cairston Road), Stromness, Orkney
Received 29 Nov 2010 - Decided10/621/PP
Create an all weather pitch with associated floodlighting and fencing and renovate existing store buildings
Willow Road (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 29 Nov 2010 - Decided10/622/PP
Extend a house
Kelda Cottage, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2JR
Received 29 Nov 2010 - Decided10/623/AMC
Erect a house with integral garage and an air source heat pump
Lynnburn (Land Near), Holm Branch Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1RY
Received 29 Nov 2010 - Decided10/624/APN
Erect a shed for the storage of machinery
Work Farm, St. Ola, Orkney, KW15 1UF
Received 30 Nov 2010 - Decided10/625/AMC
Erect a replacement house with a detached garage
Parkhouse (Site 1) (Land Near), Grimness, South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 1 Dec 2010 - Decided10/626/AMC
Erect a replacement house with a detached garage
Parkhouse (Plot 3) (Land Near), Grimness, South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 1 Dec 2010 - Decided10/627/AMC
Erect a house
Lower Saville Green (Land Near), Sanday, Orkney
Received 6 Dec 2010 - Decided10/628/PP
Re-roof conservatory with Decra grey tiles, erect a conservatory on hostel accommodation, convert craft shop to sleeping accommodation and erect 3 camping huts
Ayre, Coo Road, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2AY
Received 6 Dec 2010 - Decided10/629/PP
Extend a house
Midquoy, Orphir, Orkney, KW17 2RE
Received 6 Dec 2010 - Decided10/630/PP
Amend planning permission 09/190/PPR to install an air source heat pump and solar panels
Braemor (Land Near), Downies Lane, Stromness, Orkney
Received 6 Dec 2010 - Decided10/631/PP
Erect a 0.9MW wind turbine (max height 67m), a switchgear enclosure and upgrade part of track
Akla (Land Near), Orphir, Orkney
Received 8 Dec 2010 - Decided10/632/APN
Demolish existing shed and erect a GP shed
Quoylonga, Birsay, Orkney
Received 8 Dec 2010 - Decided10/633/PP
Erect a GP shed
House At Plot 3, Roadside, Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3LU
Received 10 Dec 2010 - Decided10/634/PP
Temporary permission required to erect a wind measurement mast with associated anemometry (amend location and max. height to 50m)
Thomson's Hill, Fara, Orkney
Received 14 Dec 2010 - Decided10/635/PP
Extend a house
Nether Lettally, Firth, Orkney, KW17 2PA
Received 14 Dec 2010 - Decided10/636/PP
Extend a house including two balconies
Berstane Farmhouse, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1SZ
Received 21 Dec 2010 - Decided10/637/PP
Erect two semi-detached houses
Lynnburn (Land Near), Holm Branch Road, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 21 Dec 2010 - Decided10/638/AMC
Erect a house
Lynnburn (Land Near) Holm Branch Road Kirkwall Orkney
Received 21 Dec 2010 - Decided10/639/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump
Weyland Drive (Plot 7) (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 21 Dec 2010 - Decided10/640/VR
Vary condition 1 of temporary planning permission 07/489/PPF to extend consent by three years
Wideford Hill, St. Ola, Orkney
Received 21 Dec 2010 - Withdrawn/Returned10/641/PIP
Amend planning permission 09/573/PIP to relocate site for the siting of a house and retention of existing building
Masseter (Land Near), South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RN
Received 21 Dec 2010 - Decided10/642/PP
Erect a replacement house with an integral garage, an air source heat pump and solar panels and retain building to be replaced for use as store
Berry Brae (Land Near), Fea Hill, St. Ola, Orkney
Received 21 Dec 2010 - Decided10/643/PP
Reinstate, renovate and extend a house into existing outbuildings and site a temporary caravan
North Panhouse, Eday, Orkney, KW17 2AB
Received 23 Dec 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