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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided14/208/PP
Extend a house
Holland, Rerwick Road, Tankerness, Orkney, KW17 2QS
Received 21 May 2014 - Decided14/209/PP
Demolish garage, erect a replacement integral garage and extend a house
Kiruna, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3HQ
Received 22 May 2014 - Decided14/210/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 27.2m)
Quoys (Land Near), Quoys Road, Deerness, Orkney KW17 2QH
Received 22 May 2014 - Decided14/211/PP
Change of use from agriculture to equestrian use as a cross country course
Orkney Riding Centre, Old Finstown Road, St Ola, Orkney
Received 23 May 2014 - Decided14/212/PP
Extend a house and erect an integral garage
The Willows, Old Finstown Road, Finstown, Orkney, KW17 2EJ
Received 23 May 2014 - Decided14/213/PIP
Siting of a replacement house
Hunda (Land Near), Burray, Orkney
Received 26 May 2014 - Decided14/214/PIP
Siting of a replacement house
Littlequoy (Land Near), Burray, Orkney
Received 26 May 2014 - Decided14/215/PP
Erect a replacement house
Rosemount Farm (Land Near), Rosemount Road, Sandwick, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3JA
Received 26 May 2014 - Decided14/216/AMC
Erect a replacement house with an integral garage with an air source heat pump and create an access (following permission in principle - 13/012/PIP)
Latherbare (Land Near), Tankerness, Orkney
Received 26 May 2014 - Decided14/217/PP
Extend a house and install an air source heat pump
High Tor, Annfield Crescent, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NS
Received 26 May 2014 - Decided14/218/PP
Erect a slatted court
Orquil Farm, St Ola, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1SA
Received 27 May 2014 - Decided14/219/PP
Create three contractors yards, construct hard surfaces, install drainage and erect a 1.8m boundary fence
Innovation Centre, Hatston Pier Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1ZL
Received 27 May 2014 - Decided14/220/EB
Install a 33kV overhead line and high voltage underground cable to provide electricity to New Holland Wind Generating Station
New Holland (Land Near), Holm, Orkney
Received 29 May 2014 - Decided14/221/PP
Change of use from a dentist to a workshop and siting of a portable building
Former Station Dental Surgery, Great Western Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AN
Received 30 May 2014 - Decided14/222/PP
Install temporary roof covering
15 - 19 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HR
Received 3 Jun 2014 - Decided14/223/LB
Install temporary roof covering
15 - 19 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HR
Received 3 Jun 2014 - Decided14/224/PP
Change of use from storage (Class 6) to pipe band tutoring and practice (Class 10)
Victoria Halls, Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DN
Received 3 Jun 2014 - Decided14/225/PP
Erect 8 houses with air source heat pumps, associated road works and culverting of burn
Linburn (Land Near), Ireland Road, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3LB
Received 3 Jun 2014 - Decided14/226/AMC
Erect a house and an air source heat pump (following permission in principle 11/206/PIP)
Meadowvale (Land Near), Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RY
Received 3 Jun 2014 - Decided14/227/PN
Remove 3 antenna, install 2 antenna, 2 remote radio units and 2 transmission dishes
Corse (Land Near) St Ola Orkney
Received 2 Jun 2014 - Decided14/228/PP
Reinstate and extend a house and erect a house (two for one)
School Cottage, Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3HZ
Received 5 Jun 2014 - Decided14/229/PP
Erect a house with a detached garage
Grunavi (Land Near), Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2BA
Received 5 Jun 2014 - Decided14/230/AMC
Erect a house with an air source heat pump (following permission in principle 11/185/PIP)
Newton (Plot 2) (Land Near), South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 5 Jun 2014 - Decided14/231/PP
Install an air source heat pump
Beckington, Hillside Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3AH
Received 5 Jun 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