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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided14/497/PP
Erect a funeral home, install an air source heat pump, create an access and car parking and landscaping
Fieldhouse (Land Near), Old Scapa Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1BB
Received 11 Dec 2014 - Decided14/498/PP
Change of use from bus depot and builders yard to industrial workshop and boatyard
Briarlea (Land Near), Village Road, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SS
Received 11 Dec 2014 - Decided14/499/PP
Extend a house and install an air source heat pump
Berriedale, Loons Road, Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2NA
Received 11 Dec 2014 - Decided14/500/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15.1m)
Bon-Accord (Land Near), Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3HZ
Received 17 Dec 2014 - Decided14/501/PP
Install an air source heat pump
Haugahovn, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DH
Received 12 Dec 2014 - Decided14/502/LB
Reopen blocked doorway and install door
Kitchener Memorial, Birsay, Orkney
Received 15 Dec 2014 - Decided14/503/PP
Reopen blocked doorway and install door
Kitchener Memorial, Birsay, Orkney
Received 15 Dec 2014 - Decided14/504/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump
39 Coplands Drive (Land Near), Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BN
Received 15 Dec 2014 - Decided14/505/PP
Erect 2 houses with air source heat pumps and create access and parking area
The Mound (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1ZH
Received 15 Dec 2014 - Decided14/506/PP
Extend a house
Rose Ness, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2SB
Received 16 Dec 2014 - Decided14/507/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Moonlight (Land Near), Jubidee Road, Evie, Orkney, KW17 2PE
Received 17 Dec 2014 - Decided14/508/PP
Install a bench
Hobbister Hill Reserve (Land Near), Orphir, Orkney
Received 17 Dec 2014 - Decided14/509/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 15.1m)
Gateside (Land Near), Rue Road, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2AZ
Received 17 Dec 2014 - Decided14/510/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Klondyke (Land Near), Cleat Road, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2BP
Received 17 Dec 2014 - Decided14/511/AMC
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump (following planning permission in principle - 12/530/PIP)
Skeetquoy (Plot 3) (Land Near), Tankerness Hall Road, Tankerness Orkney, KW17 2QR
Received 18 Dec 2014 - Decided14/512/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Kirbuster House (Land Near), Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3PQ
Received 18 Dec 2014 - Decided14/513/TPP
Erect a 5kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Eastfield (Land Near), Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3PQ
Received 18 Dec 2014 - Decided14/514/PP
Install two benches and a donations cairn
Hoy Nature Reserve (Land Near), Hoy, Orkney
Received 19 Dec 2014 - Decided14/515/AD
Display an interpretation panel on stone plinth
Cottascarth Reserve (Land Near), Rendall, Orkney
Received 19 Dec 2014 - Decided14/516/AD
Display 2 interpretation panels on stone plinths
Hoy Nature Reserve (Land Near), Rackwick, Hoy, Orkney
Received 22 Dec 2014 - Decided14/517/AD
Display an interpretation panel on stone plinth
Trumland (Land Near), Rousay, Orkney
Received 19 Dec 2014 - Decided14/518/PP
Install 2 benches (bench type Paris at west location and bench type Sofia at east location)
Brodgar Nature Reserve, Stenness, Orkney
Received 19 Dec 2014 - Decided14/519/PP
Install a bench
Marwick Bay (Land Near), Birsay, Orkney
Received 19 Dec 2014 - Decided14/520/PP
Erect a replacement house with air source heat pump and create an access
Upper Cottiscarth (Land Near), Cottiscarth Road, Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2PA
Received 19 Dec 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