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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided13/247/PIP
Siting of a house
Inganess Bay Salmon Farm (Land Near), Inganess, St Ola, Orkney
Received 11 Jun 2013 - Decided13/248/APN
Erect a GP shed
Scar (Land Near), Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2AZ
Received 12 Jun 2013 - Decided13/249/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Limbo (Land Near), Honeysgoe Road, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2TH
Received 14 Jun 2013 - Decided13/250/PP
Install replacement timber door and three sash and case windows, and paint door and all windows
5 Whitehouse Lane, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3DG
Received 17 Jun 2013 - Decided13/251/PP
Extend a house
Nearhouse, Aikerness Road, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DN
Received 18 Jun 2013 - Decided13/252/PP
Erect a replacement house with integral garage and install an air source heat pump (amendment to approval of 12/235/PP)
Cott Of Ness (Land Near), Tankerness, Orkney, KW17 2QS
Received 18 Jun 2013 - Decided13/253/PP
Install Welsh slates on south-east roof; install replacement windows in dormer; replacement skylights; and install metal rainwater goods
24-26 John Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3AD
Received 19 Jun 2013 - Decided13/254/LB
Install Welsh slates on south-east roof; install replacement windows in dormer; replacement skylights; and install metal rainwater goods
24 - 26 John Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3AD
Received 19 Jun 2013 - Decided13/255/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 18.2m) and erect a wooden outbuilding for an office (incidental to the use of the house)
Lurand (Land Near), North Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2BE
Received 20 Jun 2013 - Decided13/257/LB
Install 2 air source heat pumps
10 Laing Street / 25 Queen Street, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 20 Jun 2013 - Withdrawn/Returned13/258/PIP
Siting of a self-catering unit
Anchorage (Land Near), St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1SD
Received 20 Jun 2013 - Decided13/259/PIP
Siting of a house and create an access
Myres (Land Near), Nethermill Road, Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PR
Received 21 Jun 2013 - Decided13/260/PIP
Siting of a house and create an access
Breck (Land Near), Nethermill Road, Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PR
Received 21 Jun 2013 - Decided13/261/TPP
Erect 2 x 500kW wind turbines (max height 46.5m), install a substation and create an access track
New Holland (Land Near), Stratheast Road, Holm, Orkney
Received 21 Jun 2013 - Decided13/262/PN
Replace a section of pipe to relieve flooding
Willowburn Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NG
Received 24 Jun 2013 - Decided13/263/PP
Demolish outbuildings, extend a house and install an air source heat pump
North Moa, Puldrite Road, Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2PB
Received 24 Jun 2013 - Decided13/264/PP
Install an air source heat pump
27 Grieveship Brae, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BG
Received 24 Jun 2013 - Decided13/265/PP
Change of use from office to retail (fish shop)
Unit G4, Garson Industrial Estate, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BL
Received 25 Jun 2013 - Decided13/266/PIP
Siting of a wholesale warehouse and associated car parking
The Scottish Agricultural College (Land Near), Grainshore Road, Hatston Industrial Estate, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 26 Jun 2013 - Decided13/267/PP
Extend a house to include integral double garage
Virginia Cottage, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2JT
Received 27 Jun 2013 - Decided13/268/PP
Demolish existing building and erect replacement agricultural building with slatted court
Newhall Farm, Newhall, Stromness, Orkney
Received 27 Jun 2013 - Decided13/269/PP
Erect a replacement house with air source heat pump, erect a detached garage and create an access
Cumminess Farm (Land Near), Stenness, Orkney
Received 28 Jun 2013 - Decided13/270/LB
Erect a glazed lean-to extension (retrospective)
9 St Catherine's Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HX
Received 28 Jun 2013 - Decided13/271/APN
Erect a GP shed
Leary, Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2ND
Received 28 Jun 2013
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