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 dates11,978Searchable applications
140Recorded 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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided12/005/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Appietown (Land Near) Rendall Orkney KW17 2PB
Received 10 Jan 2012 - Decided12/006/PN
Demolish a house
Aldersyde Cairston Road Stromness Orkney
Received 10 Jan 2012 - Decided12/007/TPP
Amend planning permission 11/358/TPP to change from a 6kw turbine (max. height 18m) to a 20kW turbine (max. height 27.2m)
Little Wards (Land Near) Kings Road Longhope Orkney KW16 3PA
Received 10 Jan 2012 - Decided12/008/PP
Extend a house
Viggar Sanday Orkney KW17 2AZ
Received 12 Jan 2012 - Decided12/009/PN
Erect an 11KV substation
Stromness Primary School Cairston Road Stromness Orkney
Received 12 Jan 2012 - Decided12/010/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Huan (Land Near) Sandwick Orkney KW17 3LS
Received 12 Jan 2012 - Decided12/011/TPP
Erect 2 x 20kW wind turbines (max height 27.2m)
Linday (Land Near) Sandwick Orkney KW16 3JE
Received 12 Jan 2012 - Decided12/012/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Maesquoy Farm (Land Near) Harray Orkney KW17 2LE
Received 12 Jan 2012 - Decided12/013/TPP
Erect a 80kW wind turbine (max height 28m)
Towerhill (Land Near) St Ola Orkney KW17 1SR
Received 17 Jan 2012 - Decided12/014/PP
Replace grey stone roof slates with composite roof slates
Old Bogie Evie Orkney KW17 2PL
Received 17 Jan 2012 - Decided12/015/PIP
Demolish farm buildings and siting of 2 houses
Lower Linklater Quoyloo Road Sandwick Orkney KW17 2JG
Received 17 Jan 2012 - Decided12/016/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Lower Stanger (Land Near) Birsay Orkney KW17 2LZ
Received 17 Jan 2012 - Decided12/017/PP
Erect a grass silage storage building
Moa Stenness Orkney KW16 3HQ
Received 17 Jan 2012 - Decided12/018/PP
Demolish existing house, erect a replacement house and install an air source heat pump
Suzarron Tankerness Orkney KW17 2QS
Received 17 Jan 2012 - Decided12/019/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Vinnabrek (Land Near) Dykeside Westray Orkney KW17 2DW
Received 17 Jan 2012 - Decided12/020/TPP
Erect a 10kW wind turbine (max height 19.1m)
Hyval (Land Near) North Dyke Sandwick Orkney KW16 3LS
Received 17 Jan 2012 - Decided12/021/PP
Extend a house and install an air source heat pump
Whitehow Papa Westray Orkney KW17 2BU
Received 17 Jan 2012 - Decided12/022/PP
Extend a house
7 Weyland Drive Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1WW
Received 17 Jan 2012 - Decided12/023/PN
Install an air source heat pump (retrospective)
Brandyquoy Garth St Margaret's Hope Orkney KW17 2TJ
Received 18 Jan 2012 - Decided12/024/PN
Install free standing 'H' transformer pole
Ness Battery (Land Near) Stromness
Received 18 Jan 2012 - Decided12/025/PN
Install free standing 'H' transformer pole
Midland Hill (Land Near) Orphir Orkney
Received 18 Jan 2012 - Decided12/026/PN
Erect an 11KV substation
Watersfield (Phase 3) (Land Near) Kirkwall Orkney
Received 20 Jan 2012 - Decided12/027/PIP
Siting of a replacement house
East Serrigar South Ronaldsay Orkney
Received 20 Jan 2012 - Decided12/028/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Kirbister (Land Near) Stronsay Orkney KW17 2AG
Received 20 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
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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