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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided11/438/LB
Apply cement render to chimney stacks
2 King Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NN
Received 17 Aug 2011 - Decided11/439/PP
Erect a fire tender garage with associated facilities, road access and car parking
New Fire Station, Industrial Estate Road, St Margaret's Hope, Orkney
Received 17 Aug 2011 - Decided11/440/PP
Erect a slatted/bedded court
Millquoy, Heath House Road, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3EZ
Received 17 Aug 2011 - Decided11/441/VR
Vary condition 2 of outline planning permission 08/388/PPO to extend the consent for the siting of a replacement house
Spurr (Land Near), Roseness, Holm, KW17 2SD
Received 17 Aug 2011 - Decided11/442/PP
Change of use from car show room to dance studio
Former Showroom, Crowness Crescent, Hatston Industrial Estate, Kirkwall
Received 17 Aug 2011 - Decided11/443/PP
Erect a shed
Hoy Kirk, Hoy KW16 3NJ
Received 17 Aug 2011 - Decided11/444/PN
Install 'H' pole and transformer (retrospective)
Palace (Transformer At), Birsay, Orkney
Received 18 Aug 2011 - Decided11/445/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max. height 18m)
Anvil Cottage (Land Near), Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3JF
Received 18 Aug 2011 - Decided11/446/SCR
Screening opinion request for 2 wind turbines (max. height 15m)
Downies (Land Near), Deerness, Orkney
Received 18 Aug 2011 - Decided11/447/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max. height 21m)
Whitehall Manse (Land Near), Stronsay
Received 19 Aug 2011 - Decided11/448/PN
Remove 2.4m dish and attach two 1.2m dishes to existing tower
SSE Ward Hill Radio Station, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RL
Received 19 Aug 2011 - Decided11/449/PIP
Siting of 4 houses and demolish existing building
Storehouse, West Greaves Road, St Mary's, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RU
Received 19 Aug 2011 - Decided11/450/PP
Erect 10 houses, consisting of 2 blocks of 5, 2 storey terraced houses with associated roads, parking, landscaping and boundary treatments
Peerie Sea Loan (Land Near) (Phase 2), Kirkwall
Received 19 Aug 2011 - Decided11/451/TPP
Erect 2 wind turbines (max. height 18m)
South Breck (Land Near), Firth, KW17 2ET
Received 23 Aug 2011 - Decided11/452/TPP
Erect 4 wind turbines (max. height 18m)
Vardabreck (Land Near), St. Ola, Orkney, KW15 1TR
Received 23 Aug 2011 - Decided11/453/PP
Erect a house with integral garage with an air source heat pump
Grainbank (Plot 13) (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney,
Received 23 Aug 2011 - Decided11/454/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max. height 20m)
Ingashowe (Land Near), Firth, Orkney, KW15 1TX
Received 23 Aug 2011 - Decided11/456/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max. height 27.2m)
Queenamuckle (Land Near), Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2EZ
Received 25 Aug 2011 - Decided11/457/PP
Erect a sun room and install an air source heat pump
Haquoy, 2 Jib Park, Finstown, Firth, Orkney, KW17 2HJ
Received 25 Aug 2011 - Decided11/458/VR
Vary condition 2 of outline planning permission 08/332/PPO to extend the consent for the siting of a house
Waterview Cottage (Land Near), Burray
Received 25 Aug 2011 - Decided11/459/TPP
Erect 2 wind turbines (max. height 18.2m)
Roadside (Land Near), Rapness, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DE
Received 26 Aug 2011 - Decided11/460/PP
Erect a replacement house and install an air source heat pump
Upper Lerquoy (Land Near), Orphir, Orkney
Received 26 Aug 2011 - Decided11/461/PP
Erect a replacement house and install an air source heat pump
Chinegar (Land Near), Orphir, Orkney
Received 26 Aug 2011 - Decided11/462/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max. height 18.2m)
Hangaback (Land Near), The Bu, Orphir, Orkney, KW17 2RD
Received 29 Aug 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