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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided14/401/PP
Form two openings and install two windows
8 Ness Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3DL
Received 3 Oct 2014 - Decided14/402/LB
Form two openings and install two windows
8 Ness Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3DL
Received 3 Oct 2014 - Decided14/403/LB
Install CCTV system
Italian Chapel, Lamb Holm, Holm, Orkney
Received 3 Oct 2014 - Decided14/404/PP
Erect a semi-detached house (1 Douglas Loan), erect a house (2 Robertson Loan) and create accesses
1 Douglas Loan & 2 Robertson Loan, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 3 Oct 2014 - Decided14/405/LB
Enlarge existing foyer and replace inner door with a sliding door (retrospective)
Orkney Islands Council, Council Offices, School Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY
Received 3 Oct 2014 - Decided14/406/PP
Demolish existing extensions, lean-to shed and detached garage, erect a detached garage and extend a house and re-roof
Ferndale, Finstown, Orkney, KW17 2EG
Received 7 Oct 2014 - Decided14/407/LB
Reinstate derelict outbuilding, install roof and reinstate and alter walls
Viera Lodge, Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PT
Received 7 Oct 2014 - Decided14/408/PP
Reinstate derelict outbuilding
Viera Lodge, Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PT
Received 7 Oct 2014 - Decided14/409/PIP
Siting of a house and create an access
Viera Lodge (Land Near), Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PT
Received 8 Oct 2014 - Decided14/410/AMC
Demolish redundant building, erect a house with an air source heat pump and upgrade existing access (following permission in principle 13/195/PIP)
Weaverhall (Land Near), Weaverhall Road, Innertown, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3JP
Received 8 Oct 2014 - Decided14/411/APN
Erect a GP shed
Spengar, Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3JD
Received 8 Oct 2014 - Decided14/412/AD
Display an illuminated totem sign and 6 wall-mounted panel signs
Co-operative, Pickaquoy Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1RP
Received 9 Oct 2014 - Decided14/413/APN
Extend a GP shed
Telegraph Cottage, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2AY
Received 9 Oct 2014 - Decided14/414/AMC
Demolish disused nissen hut, erect a house with an air source heat pump, erect a GP shed and upgrade existing access (following permission in principle - 12/577/PIP)
Daisybank (Land Near), Burray, Orkney
Received 10 Oct 2014 - Decided14/415/PP
Erect a temporary mast (max height 18m)
Blackawall (Land Near), Flotta, Orkney
Received 10 Oct 2014 - Decided14/416/APN
Erect a GP shed
Tiffyhall Farm, Tiffyhall, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QH
Received 10 Oct 2014 - Withdrawn/Returned14/417/PP
Demolish existing garage and erect replacement garage for storage of domestic and business vehicles and equipment
Leyan, Glaitness Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1BA
Received 10 Oct 2014 - Decided14/418/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Noltland Farm (Land Near), Noup Road, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DW
Received 13 Oct 2014 - Decided14/419/PP
Convert window opening to doorway, install steps, erect a fence and erect shed (retrospective)
1 Highbury Villas, East Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HT
Received 14 Oct 2014 - Decided14/420/PP
Erect a replacement house with an air source heat pump, create an access (following permission in principle - 11/426/PIP) and retain part of redundant house as an outbuilding
Bea (Plot 2) (Land Near), Harray, Orkney, KW17 2LE
Received 14 Oct 2014 - Withdrawn/Returned14/421/PP
Extend a house and install an air source heat pump
Nether Linksness, Moaness Road, Hoy, Orkney KW16 3NJ
Received 15 Oct 2014 - Decided14/422/AMC
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and create an access (following permission in principle - 13/172/PIP)
28 Burnside (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1TF
Received 16 Oct 2014 - Decided14/423/PP
Install an air source heat pump
Ultima Thule, Outertown Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3JN
Received 17 Oct 2014 - Decided14/424/PP
Extend a house
14 Hatston Park, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1UB
Received 21 Oct 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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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