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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided14/449/PP
Create a bowling green with car parking and erect a general purpose shed for storage (retrospective)
Bowling Green, Hillside, Dounby, Orkney, KW17 2HT
Received 11 Nov 2014 - Decided14/450/CC
Demolish offices (retrospective)
Strynd Offices, Strynd, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 11 Nov 2014 - Decided14/451/APN
Erect a GP shed
Lowerhouse, Littlequoy Road, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SX
Received 11 Nov 2014 - Decided14/452/PIP
Siting of a replacement house and create an access
Kirbister Mill (Land Near), Orphir, Orkney, KW17 2RA
Received 11 Nov 2014 - Decided14/453/PP
Vary construction of boundary wall and colour of wall cladding, windows and doors of approved supermarket (amendment to approval of 13/050/PP) (retrospective)
Former West Mainland Auction Mart Site, Ferry Road, Stromness, Orkney
Received 12 Nov 2014 - Decided14/454/AMC
Demolish existing house, erect a replacement house with an air source heat pump and upgrade existing access (following planning permission in principle 12/027/PIP)
East Serrigar (Land Near), South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 13 Nov 2014 - Decided14/455/PN
Install two buried septic tanks
St Mary's Waste Water Treatment Works, St Mary's Village, Holm, Orkney
Received 14 Nov 2014 - Decided14/456/PN
Install an air source heat pump
Rickla, Grimeston Road, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2JT
Received 14 Nov 2014 - Decided14/457/PP
Install a swale and basin as part of SUDs scheme for housing development
Walliwall (Land Near), Old Finstown Road, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 17 Nov 2014 - Decided14/458/TC
Crown reduction and crown thin of four sycamores and fell a sycamore
Marengo Community Garden, Marengo Road, St. Margaret's Hope, Orkney, KW17 2TE,
Received 18 Nov 2014 - Decided14/459/PP
Alter and extend existing community shop to include link building and seating area
Eday Community Enterprises, Eday, Orkney, KW17 2AB
Received 18 Nov 2014 - Withdrawn/Returned14/460/PN
Install a telecommunications box
Junction House (Land Near), Hillside Road, Dounby, Orkney, KW17 2HH
Received 19 Nov 2014 - Decided14/461/AD
Display an aluminium sign on existing fence
Billia Croo Sub Station, Outertown Road, Stromness Orkney KW16 3JP
Received 19 Nov 2014 - Decided14/462/PN
Install a telecommunications box
Rufford (Land Near), Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SU
Received 20 Nov 2014 - Decided14/463/PN
Install a telecommunications box
Burray Primary School (Land Near), Westshore Road, Burray Village, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SS
Received 20 Nov 2014 - Decided14/464/PN
Install a telecommunications box
Upper Grittley (Land Near), Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QQ
Received 20 Nov 2014 - Withdrawn/Returned14/465/PN
Install a telecommunications box
Krogjar (Land Near) Millhouse Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QH
Received 20 Nov 2014 - Decided14/466/PN
Install a telecommunications box
5B Seafield (Land Near), Finstown, Firth, Orkney, KW17 2EW
Received 20 Nov 2014 - Decided14/467/PN
Install a telecommunications box
Lyra Dounby (Land Near) Harray, Orkney, KW17 2JA
Received 20 Nov 2014 - Decided14/468/PN
Install a telecommunications box
Rowhilage (Land Near), Lock House Road, St Marys, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RT
Received 20 Nov 2014 - Decided14/469/PN
Install a telecommunications box
Kirkwall Telephone Exchange, Palace Road, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 20 Nov 2014 - Decided14/470/PN
Install a telecommunications box
5 Thorfinn Place (Land Near), Church Road, St Margarets Hope, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2TR
Received 24 Nov 2014 - Decided14/471/PP
Install a telecommunications box
St Peters House (Land Near), Back Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3DX
Received 24 Nov 2014 - Decided14/472/TPP
Erect a 20kW wind turbine (max height 21.55m)
Lengemire (Land Near), Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DP
Received 24 Nov 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