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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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: 13 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided12/309/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Quoybond (Land Near) South Ronaldsay Orkney KW17 2RL
Received 27 Apr 2012 - Decided12/310/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Upperhouse (Land Near) Lyde Road Harray Orkney KW17 2LA
Received 30 Apr 2012 - Decided12/311/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
Gallow Hill (Land Near) Sanday Orkney KW17 2BN
Received 30 Apr 2012 - Decided12/313/PP
Redecorate existing shop front and install air conditioning plant
31 Albert Street Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1HL
Received 30 Apr 2012 - Decided12/312/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Nether Corston (Land Near) Corston Road Harray Orkney KW17 2LQ
Received 30 Apr 2012 - Decided12/314/PP
Replace slates with Welsh slates, remove felt from skews, install cast metal rainwater goods, and install replacement timber doors
2 Manse Lane Stromness Orkney KW16 3BX
Received 30 Apr 2012 - Decided12/315/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Nessbreck (Land Near) Harray Orkney KW17 2LQ
Received 30 Apr 2012 - Decided12/316/TPP
Erect a 10kW wind turbine (max height 19.1m), a switchgear building and infill disused quarry with inert excavated material from site
Fea (Land Near) Tankerness Orkney
Received 30 Apr 2012 - Decided12/317/PP
Extend an existing youth centre
Hofn Pierowall Westray Orkney KW17 2DH
Received 30 Apr 2012 - Decided12/318/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
Burrian (Land Near) Sanday Orkney KW17 2BP
Received 1 May 2012 - Decided12/319/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
Braehead (Land Near) Rousay Orkney KW17 2PS
Received 1 May 2012 - Decided12/320/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
Brandyquoy (Land Near) St Margaret's Hope Orkney KW17 2TJ
Received 1 May 2012 - Decided12/321/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
Telegraph Cottage (Land Near) Sanday Orkney KW17 2AY
Received 1 May 2012 - Decided12/322/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
Old Post Office (Land Near) Sanday KW17 2BP
Received 1 May 2012 - Decided12/323/VR
Vary condition 4 of planning permission 07/191/PPF to extend consent for the extension and reinstatement of a house
Delday Deerness Orkney KW17 2QQ
Received 1 May 2012 - Decided12/325/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 18m)
Northfield (Land Near) Holm Orkney KW17 2RZ
Received 2 May 2012 - Decided12/326/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 18m)
Newbigging (Land Near) Westside Road Eday Orkney KW17 2AA
Received 2 May 2012 - Decided12/327/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 18m)
Russness (Land Near) Wyre Orkney KW17 2QA
Received 2 May 2012 - Decided12/328/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
Onziebust (Land Near) Russness Road Wyre Orkney KW17 2QA
Received 2 May 2012 - Decided12/329/PP
Erect a bus garage and multi-activity area for community use (Amendment to 12/127/PP)
Community Hall (Land Near) Longhope Hoy Orkney KW16 3PA
Received 3 May 2012 - Decided12/330/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
The Mill (Land Near) Wyre Orkney KW17 2QA
Received 3 May 2012 - Decided12/331/PP
Install an air source heat pump
Aurora, Burray Village, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SS
Received 3 May 2012 - Withdrawn/Returned12/332/TPP
Erect a 10kW wind turbine (max height 19.1m)
Keldabrae (Land Near) Finstown Orkney KW17 2ER
Received 3 May 2012 - Decided12/333/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 18.2m)
Too (Land Near) Rousay Orkney KW17 2PS
Received 4 May 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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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