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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided11/665/PP
Erect a conservatory
Fjordhavn Maitland Place Finstown Orkney KW17 2EQ
Received 14 Nov 2011 - Decided11/666/PP
Erect a replacement house
Houth Houton Road Orphir Orkney KW17 2RD
Received 15 Nov 2011 - Decided11/667/PP
Install an air source heat pump
9 Watson Close Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1WD
Received 16 Nov 2011 - Decided11/668/TPP
Amend planning permission 11/331/TPP to change turbine type (max height 19.1m)
Feaval (Land Near) Birsay Orkney KW17 2LT
Received 16 Nov 2011 - Decided11/669/PP
Upgrade works to A967, including proposed junction, road widening, resurfacing and new field access, with new gate, fencing and retaining wall
Castlehill, (Land Near) Twatt
Received 16 Nov 2011 - Decided11/670/PP
Alter and extend a house and install an air source heat pump
Colster, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QJ
Received 16 Nov 2011 - Decided11/671/TPN
Erect a wind turbine (max height 18m)
Yorvil (Land Near) Frotoft Rousay Orkney KW17 2PT
Received 16 Nov 2011 - Decided11/672/PP
Extend a house
Hillcrest Deerness Road St Ola Orkney KW15 1SS
Received 16 Nov 2011 - Decided11/673/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max height 18m) and install an air source heat pump
Varisay (Land Near) St Ola Orkney KW15 1SB
Received 16 Nov 2011 - Decided11/674/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max height 21m)
Drill Cottage (Land Near) Shapinsay Orkney KW17 2DZ
Received 16 Nov 2011 - Decided11/675/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Nigley Farm (Land Near) Evie Orkney KW17 2PH
Received 16 Nov 2011 - Decided11/676/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Skaill (Land Near) Orphir Orkney KW16 9XB
Received 17 Nov 2011 - Withdrawn/Returned11/677/PP
Erect 8 houses
Back Road (Land Near) Stromness Orkney
Received 18 Nov 2011 - Decided11/678/PP
Install an air source heat pump
Merdekka 21 Main Street Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1BU
Received 18 Nov 2011 - Decided11/679/PP
Creation of self-catering unit (retrospective)
Burra View Gaudiesback Stromness Orkney KW16 3JW
Received 18 Nov 2011 - Decided11/680/PP
Change of use from entertainment building to storage warehouse
Former Powerbowl Building Unit 1 Great Western Road Kirkwall
Received 18 Nov 2011 - Decided11/681/PP
Creation of self-catering unit (retrospective)
Rickla Harray Orkney KW17 2JT
Received 18 Nov 2011 - Decided11/682/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max height 15m)
Warsett (Land Near) Warsett Road Egilsay Orkney KW17 2QD
Received 22 Nov 2011 - Decided11/683/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max height 15m)
Ivybank (Land Near) Westside Road Rousay Orkney KW17 2PS
Received 22 Nov 2011 - Decided11/684/SCR
Screening opinion request to erect a wind turbine (max height 42.9m)
Caulderhame Reservoir (Land Near) South Ronaldsay Orkney
Received 22 Nov 2011 - Decided11/685/PP
Alter first floor and part of existing flat roof to create 8 flats with 2 entrance stairwells; re-build front pitched roof to create 2 further maisonettes and demolish store and erect replacement store with 2 maisonettes over.
31 Albert Street Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1HL
Received 22 Nov 2011 - Decided11/686/LB
Re-roof part of Listed Building to create 2 maisonettes to first floor, with remainder of building being altered and enlarged to create 8 flats, 2 further maisonettes and a replacement ground floor store for existing shop
31 Albert Street Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1HL
Received 22 Nov 2011 - Decided11/688/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 20m)
Burness (Land Near) Westray Orkney KW17 2DW
Received 22 Nov 2011 - Decided11/689/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max height 18m)
Insa-Bi-Seatter (Land Near) Hundland Road Birsay Orkney KW17 2LP
Received 22 Nov 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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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