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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided11/761/PP
Erect a house with integral garage and air source heat pump
Weyland Drive (Plot 12) (Land Near) Kirkwall Orkney
Received 21 Dec 2011 - Decided11/762/PN
Attach 0.3m dish to existing tower
SSE Sanday Radio Station Sanday Orkney KW17 2BA
Received 20 Dec 2011 - Decided11/763/PP
Erect a house with detached garage and create a new access
Coplands Road (Plot 20) (Land Near) Stromness Orkney
Received 20 Dec 2011 - Decided11/764/TPP
Amend planning permission 10/029/PP to change turbine location and type (max height 27.2m)
Arwick (Land Near) Evie
Received 21 Dec 2011 - Decided11/765/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max height 19.1m)
Lyron (Land Near) Rendall Orkney KW17 2NZ
Received 21 Dec 2011 - Decided11/766/TPP
Erect 2 wind turbines (max height 18m)
Nisthouse (Land Near) Evie Orkney KW17 2PF
Received 21 Dec 2011 - Decided11/767/APN
Erect a GP shed
Midhouse Midhouse Road Harray Orkney KW17 2LD
Received 22 Dec 2011 - Decided11/768/PP
Erect a house with detached garage and an air source heat pump
Braehead Cottage (Land Near) Braehead Stromness Orkney KW16 3DD
Received 22 Dec 2011 - Decided11/769/PP
Erect a boundary fence (retrospective)
44 Craigie Crescent Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1EP
Received 22 Dec 2011 - Withdrawn/Returned11/770/PP
Demolish existing house and erect a replacement house with air source heat pump and solar panels and erect a GP shed
The Cottage, Hundland Road, Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2NR
Received 22 Dec 2011 - Decided11/771/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max height 28m), renovate existing cottage for use as wind turbine operation building, storage and accommodation and construct an access track
Blackawall Cottage (Land Near) Flotta
Received 22 Dec 2011 - Decided11/772/LB
Demolish malt intake building and erect replacement steel framed building with profiled composite cladding to match adjacent malt bins building
Highland Park Distillery Holm Road Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1SU
Received 22 Dec 2011 - Decided11/773/PP
Demolish malt intake building and erect replacement steel framed building with profiled composite cladding to match adjacent malt bins building
Highland Park Distillery Holm Road Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1SU
Received 22 Dec 2011 - Decided11/774/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max height 18m)
Lower Cottiscarth (Land Near) Rendall Orkney KW17 2PA
Received 23 Dec 2011 - Decided11/775/TPP
Erect a wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Burness (Land Near) Firth Orkney KW17 2ET
Received 23 Dec 2011 - Decided11/776/PP
Construct new pier, access roadway and ancillary works
Copland's Dock New Pier And Access Roadway Garson Industrial Estate Stromness Orkney
Received 23 Dec 2011 - Decided11/777/PP
Renovate farmhouse, change of use of basement of farmhouse and adjoined buildings to 2 self-catering units, convert and extend existing outbuilding to create a farm shop, and form car parking
Grainbank Hatston Brae Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1RD
Received 23 Dec 2011 - Decided11/778/LB
Renovate farmhouse, including new internal openings, replacement fittings, and new and replacement windows and doors, skylights and rainwater goods. Part-demolish two outbuildings. Convert and extend existing outbuilding to create a farm shop
Grainbank Hatston Brae Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1RD
Received 23 Dec 2011 - Decided11/779/PP
Erect residential care accommodation
Pickaquoy Loan (Land Near) Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1BZ
Received 23 Dec 2011 - Decided11/780/PP
Renovate and extend existing house, install roof lights and erect a plant room
Mayback Central Road Papa Westray Orkney KW17 2BU
Received 23 Dec 2011 - Decided12/001/PP
Extension to retail premises
Sinclair Licensed Grocer Kettletoft Sanday KW17 2BJ
Received 4 Jan 2012 - Decided12/002/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 22m)
Quoydale (Land Near) Hoy Orkney KW16 3NJ
Received 10 Jan 2012 - Decided12/004/PP
Erect a double garage attached to existing house
Sunnybank, St Ola, Kirkwall, KW15 1TR
Received 10 Jan 2012 - Decided12/003/PP
Erect a house with integral garage and air source heat pump
Whitecleat (Plot 3) (Land Near) Tankerness
Received 10 Jan 2012
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
Understanding planning · 13 min read
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.
UK researchPublished Updated
Property research · 13 min read
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.
UK researchPublished Updated
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