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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided12/710/LB
Demolish flat-roofed extension; remove roof covering and re-roof with Welsh slates; install timber casement and sash and case windows; and install replacement timber door, rooflights and rainwater goods
20 Wellington Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AY
Received 16 Oct 2012 - Decided12/711/PN
Replace existing low voltage overhead line with 11Kv overhead line
Easthouse & Nisthouse (Land Near), Shapinsay, Orkney.
Received 18 Oct 2012 - Withdrawn/Returned12/712/TPP
Erect 10 x 5kW wind turbines (max height 21.5m) and erect a switchgear building
Stromness Reservoir (Land Near), Stromness, Orkney
Received 23 Oct 2012 - Decided12/713/PP
Extend a house
Millburn Cottage, Cairston Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3JT
Received 22 Oct 2012 - Decided12/714/APN
Erect a GP shed
Garth, Deerness, Orkney
Received 23 Oct 2012 - Decided12/715/PP
Improvement works to existing slipways, extract rock from foreshore, create additional parking areas and erect an interpretation centre
Geo Slipway, Deerness, Orkney
Received 23 Oct 2012 - Decided12/716/PP
Erect a garage
Finchaley, Pierowall, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DW
Received 23 Oct 2012 - Decided12/717/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 22m)
Bain (Land Near), Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3LP
Received 24 Oct 2012 - Decided12/718/PP
Install a 30m communications mast
Ayre Of Cara (Land Near), South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 25 Oct 2012 - Decided12/719/PP
Paint external walls, paint windows and install replacement painted timber front door
101 Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BU
Received 25 Oct 2012 - Decided12/720/PP
Install an air source heat pump
Eastwray, Weyland Bay, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1TD
Received 29 Oct 2012 - Decided12/721/PP
Extend a house
Kirk Cottage, Claybraes Road, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2TJ
Received 30 Oct 2012 - Decided12/722/PN
Install an air source heat pump
Duncairn, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3HH
Received 30 Oct 2012 - Decided12/723/PP
Extend a house comprising of porch and conservatory extensions and extension with connecting link building
Shorewindows, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2TQ
Received 30 Oct 2012 - Decided12/724/PP
Demolish derelict garage, erect a two storey development of 4 flats, with a covered vehicular passageway to a rear courtyard and parking
20 Wellington Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AY
Received 31 Oct 2012 - Decided12/725/TPP
Remove 3 existing wind turbines and erect 3 x 850kW wind turbines (max height 75m), with associated works including formation of hard standing, access track alterations and relocate and redevelop existing substation
Bu Wind Farm (Land Near), Stronsay, Orkney
Received 31 Oct 2012 - Decided12/726/PP
Remove lobby and flat-roofed extension, erect hipped roof lobby to front and pitched roof extension to rear
East Mainland Church, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2SB
Received 1 Nov 2012 - Withdrawn/Returned12/727/PIP
Create 7 serviced sites for affordable houses
Inganess Bay Salmon Farm (Land Near) Inganess, St Ola, Orkney
Received 1 Nov 2012 - Decided12/728/PP
Erect a general purpose building
Pentland View, Sandwick Road, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RJ
Received 1 Nov 2012 - Decided12/729/TPP
Erect a 15kW wind turbine (max height 20m)
Clairmont (Land Near), Weaverhall Road, Stromness, Orkney
Received 2 Nov 2012 - Decided12/730/VR
Vary condition 5 of planning permission 11/776/PP to allow alternate Sunday working
Copland's Dock New Pier And Access Roadway, Garson Industrial Estate, Stromness, Orkney, KW16
Received 6 Nov 2012 - Decided12/731/PP
Demolish existing building, erect 6 flats and install 6 air source heat pumps
43 Junction Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AR
Received 5 Nov 2012 - Decided12/732/PP
Reinstate a house, extend and re-roof, install a ground source heat pump, erect replacement garage and relocate access
Cooperhouse, Northside Road, Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2ND
Received 6 Nov 2012 - Decided12/733/AD
Display an internally illuminated fascia panel, illuminated ATM surround, and three ancillary vinyl signs
1 Broad Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HE
Received 6 Nov 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
All planning guides
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Read planning drawings, floor plans, elevations and sections. Use labelled diagrams, a drawing comparison table and revision checks to understand a proposal.
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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