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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided13/420/PP
Demolish existing house, erect a replacement house and create an access
Cott Of Boardhouse (Land Near), Harray, Orkney
Received 10 Oct 2013 - Decided13/421/TC
Crown thin and reduction, and partial crown lift mature sycamore
Bayview, 10 Church Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BA
Received 10 Oct 2013 - Decided13/422/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
New Brimbanks (Land Near), Eday, Orkney, KW17 2AA
Received 10 Oct 2013 - Decided13/423/AMC
Erect a house with an integral garage, install an air source heat pump and create an access (following permission - 10/501/VR)
Birness (Land Near), Swartland Road, Sandwick, Orkney, KW17 2JQ
Received 11 Oct 2013 - Decided13/424/LB
Remove roof tiles and install composite slates
20 St Catherine's Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HX
Received 14 Oct 2013 - Decided13/425/LB
Install external lighting and associated cabling
1 Spences Square, Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1EZ
Received 14 Oct 2013 - Decided13/426/PP
Change of use of first floor storage to a flat and install door and windows
Hume Sweet Hume, Pierowall, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2BZ
Received 14 Oct 2013 - Decided13/427/TPP
Erect a 15kW wind turbine (max height 21m)
Lower Durrisdale (Land Near), Evie, Orkney, KW17 2PE
Received 14 Oct 2013 - Decided13/428/SCR
Screening opinion request to erect a 500kW wind turbine (max height 46.6m)
Hackland Hill (Land Near), Rendall, Orkney
Received 15 Oct 2013 - Decided13/429/VR
Remove condition 5 of planning permission 03/216/PPF that limits occupation of the house to the persons working in the neighbouring farm
Downies, Sandside Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QJ
Received 15 Oct 2013 - Decided13/430/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Bredakirk (Land Near), Eday, Orkney, KW17 2AB
Received 15 Oct 2013 - Withdrawn/Returned13/431/PP
Erect an integral double garage
Keldavatn, Church Road, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2LD
Received 15 Oct 2013 - Decided13/432/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Springfield Cottage, (Land Near), Southside Road, Eday, Orkney, Orkney KW17 2AA
Received 15 Oct 2013 - Decided13/433/TPN
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Links House (Land Near), Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DN
Received 16 Oct 2013 - Decided13/434/PP
Install a 4kW ground mounted solar array (retrospective) and extend a house
Northfield, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RZ
Received 17 Oct 2013 - Decided13/435/PP
Install a transmitting antenna (max height 9.35m) and a receiving antenna (max height 6.4m) (retrospective)
North Ronaldsay Lighthouse (Land Near), Lighthouse Road, North Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 18 Oct 2013 - Decided13/436/PP
Create vehicle access and infill existing vehicle access
A T S Euromaster, Junction Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AX
Received 18 Oct 2013 - Decided13/437/PP
Erect a general purpose shed and create an access
Greenfield (Land Near), Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PU
Received 18 Oct 2013 - Decided13/438/PP
Conversion of a redundant mill to a house
East Denwick, Denwick Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QJ
Received 21 Oct 2013 - Decided13/439/VR
Vary condition 1 of planning permission 10/490/PP to extend consent to modify existing two houses to create three separate dwellings
Chalmersquoy, Pierowall, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2BZ
Received 22 Oct 2013 - Decided13/440/PP
Erect a store
Xodus Aurora, 8 Garson Place, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3EE
Received 23 Oct 2013 - Decided13/441/PP
Install an air source heat pump (retrospective) and replace roof covering on shed
Adelaide Cottage, Berstane Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1SZ
Received 23 Oct 2013 - Decided13/442/LB
Demolish redundant farm building
Crook, Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2HA
Received 24 Oct 2013 - Decided13/443/PN
Install an air source heat pump
Eastlands, Orphir, Orkney, KW15 1SG
Received 24 Oct 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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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