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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided12/456/PIP
Siting of a house and create an access
Burnside (Site 1) (Land Near) Harray Orkney
Received 12 Jun 2012 - Withdrawn/Returned12/457/TPP
Erect 2 x 5kW wind turbines (max height 18m)
Westslate (Land Near), Brownstown Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3JN
Received 12 Jun 2012 - Decided12/458/PP
Paint external walls, replace windows with double glazed timber sash and case windows, replace door with part-glazed timber door, and replace UPVC rainwater goods with cast metal
22, 24 & 26 Victoria Street Stromness Orkney KW16 3AA
Received 12 Jun 2012 - Decided12/459/PP
Change of use from car park to outside seating and dining area
Julia's Cafe & Bistro Ferry Road Stromness Orkney KW16 3AE
Received 12 Jun 2012 - Decided12/460/PP
Paint two external walls, replace windows with double glazed timber sash and case windows, install replacement timber doors, and replace UPVC rainwater goods with cast metal
The Ferry Inn 10 John Street Stromness Orkney KW16 3AD
Received 12 Jun 2012 - Decided12/461/TPP
Erect 2 x 5kW wind turbines (max height 17.8m)
Gairsty (Land Near), Quoyloo, Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3LT
Received 12 Jun 2012 - Decided12/462/PP
Render and lime wash exterior walls
Swanson House Front Road St Margarets Hope Orkney KW17 2SL
Received 12 Jun 2012 - Decided12/464/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Upperquoys (Land Near) Evie Orkney KW17 2PH
Received 13 Jun 2012 - Decided12/465/PP
Demolish existing stores and erect attached three storey building, consisting of shop floor space and storage on the ground floor, and four flats in upper floors, and finish the building with a slate roof, smooth rendered walls, painted timber windows and doors, and metal rainwater goods, and install four air source heat pumps
53 Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HQ
Received 14 Jun 2012 - Decided12/466/PP
Erect a steel slurry store
Georth Evie Orkney KW17 2PJ
Received 14 Jun 2012 - Decided12/467/AMC
Erect a replacement house with detached garage
Roadside (Land Near) St Margaret's Hope Orkney KW17 2TG
Received 15 Jun 2012 - Decided12/468/SCR
Screening opinion request to install cable landfall and grid connection to Costa Head Wave Farm
Costa Head Wave Farm Orkney
Received 15 Jun 2012 - Decided12/469/PP
Alter and extend upstairs flat
Havnblikk Heddle Road Finstown Orkney KW17 2JX
Received 15 Jun 2012 - Decided12/470/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Greystone (Land Near) South Ronaldsay Orkney KW17 2RW
Received 18 Jun 2012 - Decided12/471/AMC
Erect a house with an air source heat pump
Brookfield (Site 1) (Land Near) Rendall Orkney KW17 2NZ
Received 19 Jun 2012 - Decided12/472/TPN
Erect a 10kW wind turbine (max height 19m)
Berstane Villa (Land Near) Berstane Loan Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1TA
Received 19 Jun 2012 - Decided12/474/LB
Remove exterior double glazing; install internal glazing; paint windows white; refurbish exterior door and paint dark blue (as existing); replace satellite dish; install bathroom ventilation pipes; remove partitions; and install bathrooms
Ardenlea 43 Graham Place Stromness Orkney KW16 3BY
Received 19 Jun 2012 - Decided12/475/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Skelbrae (Land Near) Sanday Orkney KW17 2AZ
Received 19 Jun 2012 - Decided12/476/TPP
Erect 2 wind turbines (max height 18.2m) and replace a redundant wind turbine (max height 18.2m)
Twingness And Lurand (Land Near), North Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2BE
Received 19 Jun 2012 - Decided12/477/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
East Langamay (Land Near), Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2BP
Received 19 Jun 2012 - Decided12/478/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15m)
Meadow (Land Near) Sanday Orkney KW17 2BA
Received 19 Jun 2012 - Decided12/479/TPP
Erect a 6kW wind turbine (max height 18m)
Churchill (Land Near) Holm Orkney KW17 2SD
Received 19 Jun 2012 - Decided12/480/PIP
Siting a house (renewal of existing)
West Links (Site 5) (Land Near) Burray Orkney
Received 20 Jun 2012 - Decided12/481/TPP
Erect a 80kW wind turbine (max height 28m) and a switchgear building
Wideford Mains (Site 1) (Land Near), St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1SS
Received 20 Jun 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