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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided12/029/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Garth Farm (Land Near) South Ronaldsay Orkney
Received 20 Jan 2012 - Decided12/030/TPP
Erect a 50kW wind turbine (max height 28.1m) and a switchgear building
Wasbister (Land Near) South Ronaldsay Orkney
Received 20 Jan 2012 - Withdrawn/Returned12/031/PP
Erect a replacement house, haybarn, garage and refurbish existing stone outbuildings
The Mire Deerness Orkney KW17 2QL
Received 23 Jan 2012 - Decided12/032/PP
Erect a GP shed
South Breck Firth Orkney KW17 2ET
Received 23 Jan 2012 - Decided12/033/MARSCO
Scoping and screening opinion request for a marine fish farm (Atlantic Salmon). Comprising of 12 x 100m circumference cages set in a 2 x 6 grid including a feed barge (10m x 20m max.)
Gairsay Sound Wyre Orkney
Received 23 Jan 2012 - Decided12/034/MARSCO
Scoping and screening opinion request for a marine fish farm (Atlantic Salmon) involving amalgamation of two existing sites at Noust Geo/Backaland & Kirk Taing to one site at Noust Geo and comprising 14 x 100m circumference cages set in a 2 x 7 grid also including a feed barge.
Noust Geo Eday Sound Orkney
Received 23 Jan 2012 - Decided12/035/TPP
Erect a 11kW wind turbine (max height 20m)
The Caravan (Land Near) Inganess St Ola Orkney KW15 1SE
Received 23 Jan 2012 - Decided12/036/PP
Demolish existing outbuildings, erect an extension and a garage and install an air source heat pump
Skjerstad 4 Annfield Park Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1FR
Received 23 Jan 2012 - Decided12/037/PP
Demolish existing extension and erect a replacement extension
Dawnvale Willow Road Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1NJ
Received 23 Jan 2012 - Decided12/038/PP
Erect a building for storage for guest house and workshop for purposes ancillary to the residential use of Bellavista
Bellavista Carness Road St Ola Orkney KW15 1UE
Received 24 Jan 2012 - Decided12/039/PP
Demolish outbuilding, alter and extend a house to provide additional accommodation and install an air source heat pump
Little Millhouse Deerness Orkney KW17 2QH
Received 24 Jan 2012 - Decided12/040/PP
Erect a house and install an air source heat pump
Nears (Land Near) Rousay
Received 24 Jan 2012 - Decided12/041/PP
Extend a house
School House Eday Orkney KW17 2AA
Received 24 Jan 2012 - Decided12/042/PP
Change of use from a shop to an office (retrospective)
14 Palace Road Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1PA
Received 24 Jan 2012 - Decided12/043/PP
Works to render dam inoperable to comply with legislative requirements and change of use to contractors' laydown area
Wideford Reservoir St Ola Orkney
Received 25 Jan 2012 - Decided12/044/PP
Erect a house with integral garage and an air source heat pump
Weyland Terrace (Plot B) (Land Near) Kirkwall Orkney
Received 25 Jan 2012 - Decided12/045/AD
Display 7 advertisements and install exterior spot lights
The Ferry Inn 10 John Street Stromness Orkney KW16 3AD
Received 25 Jan 2012 - Decided12/046/PP
Erect fencing for external seating and smoking areas and install exterior spot lights
The Ferry Inn 10 John Street Stromness Orkney KW16 3AD
Received 25 Jan 2012 - Decided12/047/PP
Convert disused boiler house into a house
Boiler House Lynn Crescent Kirkwall Orkney
Received 25 Jan 2012 - Decided12/048/TPP
Amend planning permission 11/087/PP to change location of approved 2 x 6kW turbines (max height 18m)
Walliwall (Land Near) Old Finstown Road St Ola Orkney KW15 1TW
Received 26 Jan 2012 - Decided12/049/TPP
Erect 2 x 10kW wind turbines (max height 19.1m)
Colligarth Farm (Land Near) Sanday Orkney KW17 2BW
Received 26 Jan 2012 - Decided12/050/TPP
Erect 2 x 5 kW wind turbines (max height 18m) (amended from 2 x 15kW wind turbines (max height 21m))
Rinibar (Land Near) Hoxa South Ronaldsay Orkney KW17 2TW
Received 27 Jan 2012 - Decided12/051/VR
Non compliance with condition 11 to planning application 10/368/PP to allow retention of the redundant building as a garage/store
Wilderness Holm Orkney KW17 2RY
Received 27 Jan 2012 - Decided12/052/AMC
Erect a replacement house
Upper Ellibister (Land Near) Rendall Orkney KW17 2NZ
Received 30 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
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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