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9,638 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided11/142/PP
Amend planning permission 10/182/PP to install solar panels and an air source heat pump
Greenfield (Plot 10) (Land Near), Toab, Orkney
Received 24 Mar 2011 - Decided11/143/PP
Replace existing wooden conservatory with a uPVC conservatory
Scapa View, 2 North Ness, Lyness, Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3NY
Received 24 Mar 2011 - Decided11/144/PP
Erect 5 business/light industrial units and offices in existing haulage yard
Whitehall Road (Land Near), Stronsay, Orkney
Received 24 Mar 2011 - Decided11/145/PP
Extend and re-roof a house and garage, create off-road parking to front and rear and replace garden shed
Laurelbank, Cromwell Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LH
Received 24 Mar 2011 - Decided11/146/PP
Carry out alterations to form a single dwelling, erect a sun porch, extend a garage, re-roof shed, greenhouse and outbuilding, demolish timber garden shed and provide additional parking
Veork & Hunclett Flat, Hornersquoy, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1BG
Received 24 Mar 2011 - Decided11/147/PP
Erect a replacement house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump
Farafield Cottage (Land Near), Twatt, Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2JD
Received 25 Mar 2011 - Decided11/148/PP
Convert former hall to form two residential units and install air source heat pumps
Former Kirk Hall, Braehead, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DB
Received 25 Mar 2011 - Decided11/149/LB
Convert former hall to form two residential units and install air source heat pumps
Former Kirk Hall, Braehead, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DB
Received 25 Mar 2011 - Decided11/150/PP
Erect 5 flats with associated car parking, create vehicular access, demolish and partly re-build stone dyke, and install five air source heat pumps
Watergate (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 28 Mar 2011 - Decided11/151/PP
Erect a house with integral garage, workshop and air source heat pump
Grainbank (Plot 8) (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 28 Mar 2011 - Decided11/152/PP
Erect a house with integral garage and an air source heat pump
Grainbank (Plot 4) (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 28 Mar 2011 - Decided11/153/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max. height 40m) with associated switchgear building
Fea, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2SA
Received 28 Mar 2011 - Decided11/154/APN
Demolish 2 sheds and erect a GP shed
Beafield, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2BL
Received 28 Mar 2011 - Decided11/155/PP
Extend and re-roof a garage
Anvil Cottage, Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3JF
Received 28 Mar 2011 - Decided11/156/PP
Erect a domestic garage
Kirbeth, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2LQ
Received 28 Mar 2011 - Decided11/157/PP
Erect a replacement house
Little North Row (Land Near), Longhope, Hoy, Orkney
Received 28 Mar 2011 - Decided11/158/PP
Extend a house
Conyar, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2LF
Received 29 Mar 2011 - Decided11/159/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump
Grainbank (Plot 9) (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 29 Mar 2011 - Decided11/160/PIP
Siting of a replacement house and retain house to be replaced for cattle accommodation
Springburn (Land Near), Birsay, Orkney
Received 29 Mar 2011 - Decided11/161/PP
Erect a conservatory, link corridor, integral garage and install air source heat pump
Virginia Cottage, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2JT
Received 29 Mar 2011 - Decided11/162/PP
Construction of roads and installation of services to provide 17 serviced house sites
Grainbank (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 30 Mar 2011 - Decided11/163/LB
Re-roof, re-harl external walls, replace rainwater goods and install new rooflights
15 Dundas Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BZ
Received 31 Mar 2011 - Decided11/164/VR
Vary condition 3 of outline planning permission 08/111/PPO to extend consent for the siting of a house
Nethersands (Land Near), Deerness, Orkney
Received 1 Apr 2011 - Decided11/165/PP
Amend planning permission 10/475/PP to add a sun lounge
Work (Land Near), St. Ola, Orkney
Received 1 Apr 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
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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