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9,638 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Withdrawn/Returned11/068/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max. height 27m)
Green, Eday, Orkney, KW17 2AA
Received 10 Feb 2011 - Decided11/069/PIP
Siting of a house
Parklea (Land Near), East Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LX
Received 10 Feb 2011 - Decided11/070/SCR
Screening opinion request for a wind turbine (max. height 39m)
Cleat, Work Road, St. Ola, Orkney, KW15 1UF
Received 11 Feb 2011 - Decided11/071/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max. height 18m)
The Old School, Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2EY
Received 11 Feb 2011 - Decided11/072/APN
Erect a GP shed
Quoybelloch Farm, Deerness, Orkney
Received 11 Feb 2011 - Decided11/073/PP
Demolish and replace existing porch
Aviedale, Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2PB
Received 11 Feb 2011 - Decided11/074/APN
Erect a GP shed
Snelsetter, Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3PA
Received 15 Feb 2011 - Decided11/075/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max. height 18.2m)
Burgar House, Evie, Orkney, KW17 2NJ
Received 15 Feb 2011 - Decided11/076/PIP
Siting of a replacement house
Orquil (Land Near), Rendall, Orkney
Received 16 Feb 2011 - Decided11/077/SCR
Screening opinion request for three wind turbines (max. height 34.5m)
Former Royal Navy Air Station, Twatt, Birsay, Orkney
Received 16 Feb 2011 - Decided11/078/TPP
Erect 2 wind turbines (max. height 18.2m)
Halcro, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RW
Received 16 Feb 2011 - Decided11/079/PP
Erect a guest house and construct vehicular access, parking and servicing areas
Heath Cottage (Land Near), Rendall, Orkney
Received 18 Feb 2011 - Decided11/080/AMC
Erect a house with an attached garage and air source heat pump and create a new access
Bankburn (Plot 2) (Land Near), St. Margaret's Hope, Orkney
Received 22 Feb 2011 - Decided11/081/LB
Install two air source heat pumps, replace heating system, and replace electrical services, including fire alarm, lighting and communications
Tankerness House, 35 Broad Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DH
Received 22 Feb 2011 - Decided11/082/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and create a new access
Land Between Joiner's Workshop & Car Park, Dounby, Orkney
Received 22 Feb 2011 - Decided11/083/TPP
Erect a GP shed and 2 wind turbines (max. height 18m)
Settisgarth, Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2PA
Received 22 Feb 2011 - Decided11/084/VR
Vary condition 1 of planning permission 10/073/PP to extend consent by 2 years for stone extraction
Liddle's Quarry, Orphir, Orkney
Received 22 Feb 2011 - Decided11/085/PIP
Siting of a replacement house
Bathgate (Land Near), Northside, Birsay, Orkney
Received 23 Feb 2011 - Decided11/086/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 23 Feb 2011 - Decided11/087/TPP
Erect 2 wind turbines (max. height 18m)
Walliwall Farm, Old Finstown Road, St. Ola, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 23 Feb 2011 - Decided11/088/TPP
Erect 8 x 6kW wind turbines (max. height 14.4m)
Heathfield (Land Near), Old Finstown Road, St. Ola, Orkney
Received 23 Feb 2011 - Decided11/089/TPP
Erect four 6kW turbines (max. height 18m) (amend previous proposal for 2 x 6kW and 2 x 11.5kW)
Land Between Little Hackland & Newark, Rendall, Orkney
Received 24 Feb 2011 - Decided11/090/SCO
Scoping opinion request for 5 wind turbines (max. height 92.5m)
Swart Howe (Land Near), Holm, Orkney
Received 24 Feb 2011 - Decided11/091/SCO
Scoping opinion request for 5 wind turbines (max. height 92.5m)
Hamly Hill (Land Near), Holm, Orkney
Received 24 Feb 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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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