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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided12/407/PP
Erect a general purpose agricultural building
Dyke Evie Orkney KW17 2PJ
Received 23 May 2012 - Decided12/408/PP
Erect a general purpose agricultural building
Dyke, Evie, Orkney, KW17 2PJ
Received 23 May 2012 - Decided12/409/PP
Erect a general purpose agricultural building
Dyke Evie Orkney KW17 2PJ
Received 23 May 2012 - Decided12/410/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
Carrick Farm (Land Near) Eday Orkney KW17 2AB
Received 23 May 2012 - Decided12/411/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Hall Of Heddle (Land Near) Heddle Road Firth Orkney KW17 2JX
Received 23 May 2012 - Decided12/412/SCO
Scoping opinion request to erect 2 x 900kW wind turbines (max height 67m)
Littlequoy (Land Near) Burray Orkney
Received 23 May 2012 - Decided12/413/SCO
Scoping opinion request to erect 7 x 900kW wind turbines (max height 67m)
Hunda (Land Near) Burray Orkney
Received 23 May 2012 - Decided12/414/AMC
Erect a house with integral garage
Hurtiso Farm (Plot 5) (Land Near) Holm Orkney KW17 2SB
Received 23 May 2012 - Decided12/415/PP
Erect an electrical switchgear building for approved wind turbine development
Barns Of Ayre (Land Near) Deerness KW17 2QJ
Received 23 May 2012 - Decided12/416/AMC
Erect a replacement house with detached garage, install an air source heat pump and create an access
North Unigarth (Land Near) Sandwick Orkney
Received 24 May 2012 - Decided12/417/APN
Erect a GP store (amendment to 11/546/APN)
Stackald Eday Orkney KW17 2AA
Received 24 May 2012 - Decided12/418/TPP
Erect 2 x 20kW wind turbines (max height 27.2m)
The Nev (Land Near) St. Margaret's Hope South Ronaldsay Orkney KW17 2RJ
Received 24 May 2012 - Decided12/419/PP
Use of land for allotments; erection of shed and polytunnel and formation of pond, car park and vehicular access
Stromness Community Garden Brownstown Road Stromness Orkney
Received 24 May 2012 - Decided12/420/PP
Extend a house
Easdale Cottage Easdale Loan Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1RU
Received 25 May 2012 - Decided12/421/PP
Erect site cabins within existing builders' yard
Garson Way (Land Near) Stromness Orkney
Received 25 May 2012 - Withdrawn/Returned12/422/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
4 Lettan (Land Near) Sanday Orkney KW17 2BP
Received 25 May 2012 - Decided12/423/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
Greentoft (Land Near) Eday Orkney KW17 2AA
Received 28 May 2012 - Decided12/424/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
South Cott (Land Near) Eday Orkney
Received 28 May 2012 - Decided12/425/APN
Erect a bedded cattle court
Cloke Farm Dounby Orkney
Received 29 May 2012 - Decided12/426/TPP
Erect 3 x 10kW wind turbines (max height 19.1m) (To supersede 2 x 20kW turbines under planning permission 12/011/TPP)
Linday (Land Near) Sandwick Orkney
Received 30 May 2012 - Decided12/427/TPP
Erect a 10kW wind turbine (max height 19.1m) amend to 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.7 m)
Newhouse (Land Near) Swannay Orkney KW17 2NR
Received 30 May 2012 - Decided12/428/TPP
Erect a 10kW wind turbine (max height 19.1m)
Drydale (Land Near) Kirbister Stromness Orkney KW16 3HU
Received 30 May 2012 - Decided12/429/LB
Render and lime wash exterior walls
Swanson House Front Road St Margarets Hope Orkney KW17 2SL
Received 30 May 2012 - Decided12/430/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
North Serrigar (Land Near) South Ronaldsay Orkney KW17 2RL
Received 30 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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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