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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Withdrawn/Returned14/084/TPP
Erect 3 x 5kW wind turbines (max height 17.8m)
Eday Waste Water Treatment Works (Land Near), Eday, Orkney
Received 21 Feb 2014 - Decided14/085/PP
Erect a 1.05m boundary wall
Vagaland, Old Finstown Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1TW
Received 24 Feb 2014 - Decided14/086/PP
Replace stone roof slates with concrete tiles
Millfield, Bloomfield Road, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SU
Received 24 Feb 2014 - Decided14/087/CC
Demolish store
Land To Rear Of Former Arts Theatre, Queen Street, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 24 Feb 2014 - Decided14/088/PP
Install 2 air source heat pumps
Greenfield, (Plot 8A & 8B), (Land Near), Toab, Orkney
Received 24 Feb 2014 - Decided14/089/PP
Erect a glazed lean-to porch with timber-clad gable and erect a fence (part-retrospective)
9 St Catherine's Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HX
Received 24 Feb 2014 - Decided14/090/LB
Erect a glazed lean-to porch with timber-clad gable and erect a fence (part-retrospective)
9 St Catherine's Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HX
Received 24 Feb 2014 - Decided14/091/PP
Paint shop front
30 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DN
Received 25 Feb 2014 - Decided14/092/PP
Install an air source heat pump and paint doors
64 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DN
Received 21 Feb 2014 - Decided14/093/LB
Install an air source heat pump, display signage and paint doors
64 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DN
Received 21 Feb 2014 - Decided14/094/PP
Reinstate a redundant house including extension into outbuilding
The Ness At Laminess, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2BA
Received 28 Feb 2014 - Decided14/095/PP
Erect a house with integral garage, install an air source heat pump and create an access
Brookfield (Plot 2) (Land Near), Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2NZ
Received 28 Feb 2014 - Decided14/096/PP
Erect a house with integral garage, install an air source heat pump and create an access
Brookfield (Plot 3) (Land Near), Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2NZ
Received 28 Feb 2014 - Decided14/097/PP
Erect a 10m high x 0.5m wide lattice mast for broadband connectivity
Sandyhill Radar Station (Land Near), South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RN
Received 28 Feb 2014 - Decided14/098/PP
Erect a house and create an access
Southbank (Land Near), Stronsay, Orkney
Received 3 Mar 2014 - Decided14/099/TPP
Erect a 6kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Garson (Land Near), Sandwick, Orkney
Received 6 Mar 2014 - Decided14/100/PIPMAJ
Erect a healthcare facility, associated infrastructure, landscaping and enabling works
New Scapa Road (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 6 Mar 2014 - Decided14/101/AMC
Demolish redundant agricultural building, erect a house with detached garage and install an air source heat pump (following permission in principle - 13/097/PIP)
Graenngarth (Land Near), Berstane Loan, St Ola, Orkney
Received 7 Mar 2014 - Decided14/102/APN
Erect a GP shed
Newark, Skelwick, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DD
Received 7 Feb 2014 - Decided14/103/PIP
Siting of a replacement house
Nap (Land Near), Hillfield Road, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SU
Received 7 Mar 2014 - Decided14/104/PP
Replace Orkney Slate roof with mixture of Orkney and Welsh slate and install metal rainwater goods
124 Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BU
Received 10 Mar 2014 - Decided14/105/PP
Extend a garage and construct a pitched roof over existing flat roof
Scarhaven, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RZ
Received 10 Mar 2014 - Decided14/106/LB
Replace Orkney Slate roof with mixture of Orkney and Welsh slate and install metal rainwater goods
124 Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BU
Received 10 Mar 2014 - Decided14/108/PP
Install replacement metal painted handrails and alter steps
Earls Palace Dental Practice, Watergate, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1PD
Received 11 Mar 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
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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