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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided13/520/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Bu' (Land Near), Measer Road, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2BL
Received 17 Dec 2013 - Decided13/521/LB
Re-roof garden roof with Orkney slates; install skylights; install replacement timber doors and windows; and ancillary interior works
Hall Of Tankerness, Tankerness Hall Road, St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QS
Received 17 Dec 2013 - Decided13/522/PP
Erect a stable, construct a sand school for equine use and create an access
Crantit (Land Near), St Ola, Orkney
Received 18 Dec 2013 - Decided13/523/LB
Demolish section of lean-to, install replacement windows and doors, remove cement render, re-point walls and minor internal alterations
Marygarth, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2AY
Received 18 Dec 2013 - Decided13/524/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Damsay (Land Near), Grimbust Road, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DE
Received 18 Dec 2013 - Decided13/525/PP
Replace fascia; paint shop windows, door, fascia and render
113 Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BU
Received 18 Dec 2013 - Withdrawn/Returned13/526/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 22m)
Braehead (Land Near), Old Finstown Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1TW
Received 18 Dec 2013 - Decided13/527/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and create an access
Millfield (Site 3) (Land Near), Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3LL
Received 18 Dec 2013 - Withdrawn/Returned13/528/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Leary (Land Near), Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2ND
Received 19 Dec 2013 - Withdrawn/Returned13/529/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
The White House (Land Near), Cottiscarth Road, Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2PA
Received 19 Dec 2013 - Decided13/530/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Blossom (Land Near), Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PS
Received 19 Dec 2013 - Decided13/531/PP
Change of use from bed and breakfast, domestic studio and shed to guest house
Northfield, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QL
Received 20 Dec 2013 - Decided13/532/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Daisy Cottage (Land Near), Orphir, Orkney, KW17 2RB
Received 20 Dec 2013 - Decided13/533/PP
Erect a three storey, 15 bedroom hotel annexe, construct 16 car parking spaces, associated landscaping and create an access
Ayre Hotel (Land Near), Ayre Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1QX
Received 23 Dec 2013 - Decided13/534/PP
Extend existing substation, erect a control building (housing two electricity transformers), install fence and create an access
Adabrock (Land Near), North End Road, Stromness, Orkney
Received 24 Dec 2013 - Decided13/535/LB
Reinstate a redundant dwelling, re-roof with Orkney and other slates, re-point walls, add lead cap to kiln, rebuild section of wall, install replacement timber doors and windows, and demolish ruinous outbuilding
North House, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QL
Received 24 Dec 2013 - Decided14/001/PP
Erect a craft shop and create car parking and access
Millhouse (Land Near), Lyness, Orkney, KW16 3NU
Received 3 Jan 2014 - Decided14/002/PP
Demolish part of existing ruinous house and erect a replacement house
Brockan, Brockan Road, Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2ND
Received 6 Jan 2014 - Decided14/003/PP
Change of use from surgery to staff accommodation, and install replacement windows and door
Heatherlea Surgery, Eday, Orkney, KW17 2AB
Received 6 Jan 2014 - Withdrawn/Returned14/004/TPP
Erect a 6kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Garson (Land Near), Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3LT
Received 6 Jan 2014 - Decided14/005/TPP
Erect a 6kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Brekka (Land Near), Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3LT
Received 6 Jan 2014 - Decided14/006/PP
Install an air source heat pump and extraction ventilation canopy on castle; reinstate tennis court with boundary fence; repoint and install rainwater goods and replacement timber windows in outbuilding; erect a sauna; reinstate maze; create water feature (all retrospective); and create a putting green
Balfour Castle, Shapinsay, Orkney, KW17 2DY
Received 7 Jan 2014 - Decided14/007/LB
Install an air source heat pump and extraction ventilation canopy on castle; and repoint and install rainwater goods and replacement timber windows in outbuilding
Balfour Castle, Shapinsay, Orkney, KW17 2DY
Received 7 Jan 2014 - Decided14/008/PP
Change of use of part of steading from agriculture to events and functions venue, install replacement windows and doors, and install air source heat pumps (retrospective)
Balfour Mains, Sandyhill Road, Shapinsay, Orkney, KW17 2DY
Received 7 Jan 2014
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
Understanding planning · 13 min read
Planning permission drawings: how to read plans
Read planning drawings, floor plans, elevations and sections. Use labelled diagrams, a drawing comparison table and revision checks to understand a proposal.
UK researchPublished Updated
Property research · 13 min read
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.
UK researchPublished Updated
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