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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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: 14 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Withdrawn/Returned15/090/VR
Vary condition 2 of planning permission 13/470/PP to use black profiled tiles instead of black non-profiled tiles (retrospective)
Finya, Stoneyhill Road, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2JT
Received 26 Feb 2015 - Decided15/091/PP
Extend a storage building
McAdie & Reeve, Crowness Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1RG
Received 26 Feb 2015 - Decided15/092/PP
Install an air source heat pump (retrospective) and extend a house
Tresness, Horries Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QL
Received 26 Feb 2015 - Decided15/093/PIP
Demolish redundant building, siting of a house and create an access
Quoydandy Cottage (Plot 1) (Land Near), Quoydandy Branch Road, St Ola, Orkney
Received 26 Feb 2015 - Decided15/094/PIP
Demolish redundant nissan hut, siting of a house and create an access
Quoydandy Cottage (Plot 2) (Land Near), Quoydandy Branch Road, St Ola, Orkney
Received 26 Feb 2015 - Decided15/095/PP
Change of use from garage to meeting and office space and install an air source heat pump
Howanbank (Garage Near), Balfour Village, Shapinsay, Orkney, KW17 2DY
Received 26 Feb 2015 - Decided15/096/EB
Relocate poles and install additional poles for existing power line
Northtown/Southtown (Land Near), Burray, Orkney
Received 27 Feb 2015 - Decided15/097/PN
Install a telecommunications box
Laverock Cottage (Land Near), Union Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1EA
Received 27 Feb 2015 - Decided15/098/PP
Change of use of land from agricultural to domestic and erect a boat shed
Eastbrae House (Land Near), Wardhill Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3HS
Received 27 Feb 2015 - Decided15/099/PN
Erect a substation
Peerie Sea Loan (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1UH
Received 27 Feb 2015 - Decided15/100/PP
Demolish existing utility room and garage, extend a house and erect a garage
Cephas-Lee, Sunnybank Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1TP
Received 2 Mar 2015 - Decided15/101/PP
Erect a house (subdivision of domestic curtilage), install an air source heat pump and create an access
Kilkerran, Hammar Road, Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2HF
Received 2 Mar 2015 - Decided15/102/PP
Replace cement fibre roof tiles with composite slates and install replacement rainwater goods
11 St Catherine's Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HX
Received 3 Mar 2015 - Decided15/103/LB
Replace cement fibre roof tiles with composite slates and install replacement rainwater goods
11 St Catherine's Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HX
Received 3 Mar 2015 - Decided15/104/LB
Display a non-illuminated fascia sign
65 Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HQ
Received 3 Mar 2015 - Decided15/105/LB
Erect a conservatory (retrospective)
Braebuster House, Braebuster Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QL
Received 4 Mar 2015 - Decided15/106/LB
Install metal rainwater goods, repoint walls, remove roof cowl and reinstate bellcote
St Nicholas Church, Cornquoy Road, Holm, Orkney KW17 2SD
Received 4 Mar 2015 - Decided15/107/PP
Install a telecommunications box
69 Albert Street (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HQ
Received 4 Mar 2015 - Decided15/108/PP
Erect a replacement house with integral garage and air source heat pump, retain existing redundant building as an outbuilding and create an access
Rose Cottage (Land Near), Grimeston Road, Harray, Orkney
Received 4 Mar 2015 - Decided15/109/EB
Install 3 x 7.5m high voltage poles
Brimbanks (Land Near), Eday, Orkney, KW17 2AA
Received 4 Mar 2015 - Decided15/110/APN
Erect a GP shed
Quoydale, Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3NJ
Received 6 Mar 2015 - Decided15/111/PP
Erect a shed
Grundvikshem, School Road, St Margarets Hope, South Ronaldsay, Orkney KW17 2TN
Received 9 Mar 2015 - Decided15/112/PP
Extend a house
Rohan, 1 Cursiter Park, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1RY
Received 9 Mar 2015 - Decided15/113/PP
Extend a house
Fairfield, Cursiter Crescent, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1XN
Received 9 Mar 2015
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
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Read planning drawings, floor plans, elevations and sections. Use labelled diagrams, a drawing comparison table and revision checks to understand a proposal.
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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