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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided14/232/PP
Erect a house with integral garage and an air source heat pump
7 Coplands Road (Land Near), Stromness, Orkney
Received 6 Jun 2014 - Decided14/233/PP
Erect a garden shed / room
1 Helliar View, Shapinsay, Orkney, KW17 2ED
Received 6 Jun 2014 - Decided14/234/TPP
Erect a 6kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
East Breckan (Land Near), Holm, Orkney, KW17 2SB
Received 6 Jun 2014 - Decided14/235/PP
Retain existing temporary office on a permanent basis and erect a building
Pier Office, Pier Road, St Margaret's Hope, KW17 2SW
Received 9 Jun 2014 - Decided14/236/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump
3 Peerie Sea Loan, (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1UH
Received 9 Jun 2014 - Decided14/237/PP
Demolish redundant farm buildings, convert and extend existing barn in to a dwelling with integral garage and install and air source heat pump
Swartland (Land Near), Swartland Road, Sandwick, Orkney, KW17 2JQ
Received 9 Jun 2014 - Decided14/238/PP
Install a roof window with balcony
32 Dundas Crescent, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1PS
Received 10 Jun 2014 - Decided14/239/PP
Change of use of part of existing house to a flat (retrospective)
Eastmount, East Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LX
Received 10 Jun 2014 - Decided14/240/PP
Erect a house
Scarview (Land Near), Springfield Drive, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1XU
Received 10 Jun 2014 - Decided14/241/AMC
Erect a house with integral garage and an air source heat pump (following permission in principle 11/225/PIP)
Nisthouse (Plot 1) (Land Near), Harray, Orkney
Received 11 Jun 2014 - Withdrawn/Returned14/242/PP
Change of use from a house to a house and tea room
The Haven, 8 Well Park, Ness Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3DN
Received 11 Jun 2014 - Decided14/243/PN
Replace 3 antenna, install 2 remote radio units and 2 transmission dishes
Towerhill Farm (Land Near), St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1SR
Received 12 Jun 2014 - Decided14/244/PIP
Reinstate and extend former house, siting of a house (two for one) and create an access
Bridgend, Old Finstown Road, Firth, Orkney
Received 13 Jun 2014 - Decided14/245/APN
Erect a GP shed
Springfield, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2JU
Received 13 Jun 2014 - Decided14/246/PP
Erect a general purpose shed
Oaklea, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1SX
Received 16 Jun 2014 - Decided14/247/PP
Extend and re-roof a house
Burnside, Lyde Road, Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2PA
Received 10 Jun 2014 - Decided14/248/PP
Alter shop front and entrance
Co-operative, Pickaquoy Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1RP
Received 17 Jun 2014 - Decided14/249/PP
Repair and partially widen jetty, replace existing lighting column and fitting and install a new lighting column and fitting (part retrospective)
Houton Jetty & Houton Pier (Land Near), Houton, Orphir, Orkney
Received 17 Jun 2014 - Decided14/250/PP
Install two silt barriers (125m and 110m long)
Mill Burn, Kirbister, Orphir, Orkney
Received 18 Jun 2014 - Decided14/251/APN
Install a dirty water storage tank
Hannatoft, Shapinsay, Orkney, KW17 2EA
Received 18 Jun 2014 - Decided14/252/PP
Extend a house to provide ancillary living accommodation and install an air source heat pump (amendment to approval of 13/191/PP)
Halley Farm, Halley Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QL
Received 18 Jun 2014 - Decided14/253/PP
Extend a house
Holmfirth, Firth, Orkney, KW15 1TU
Received 19 Jun 2014 - Unknown99/567/PP
Alterations to main entrance
Papdale Halls Of Residence, Berstane Road, Kirkwall
Received 8 Dec 1999 - Decided14/254/PP
Install a water control sluice structure and ditch clearance works
Loch Of Banks, Twatt, Orkney
Received 20 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
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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