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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided15/308/PP
Remove section of wall, reinstate slipway, and install steel flood gates, roadside drainage and a winch (part-retrospective)
Burray Slipway (Land Near), Burray, Orkney
Received 15 Jun 2015 - Decided15/309/TPN
Erect a 6kW wind turbine (max height 17.8m)
Old Manse, Puldrite Road, Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2EZ
Received 15 Jun 2015 - Decided15/312/PP
Erect a replacement house with an air source heat pump and create an access (amendment to 07/658/PPF)
Loretto (Plot 1) (Land Near), Herston, South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 14 Jul 2015 - Decided15/311/AMC
Erect a house with an air source heat pump, fell five trees and pruning works and create an access (following permission on principle - 13/512/PIP)
Daisybank (Plot 1) (Land Near), Berstane Road, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 18 Jun 2015 - Decided15/313/PP
Siting of a temporary portable building and create a parking area
The Chalet (Land Near), Grainshore Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1RQ
Received 18 Jun 2015 - Decided15/314/PP
Extend a house
Kelseca, Orphir, Orkney, KW17 2RB
Received 22 Jun 2015 - Decided15/315/PP
Erect a self catering unit and create an access
Rymmon, Whitemire Road, Evie, Orkney, KW17 2NL
Received 22 Jun 2015 - Decided15/316/PP
Erect a house with integral garage and create an access (amendment to house approved in accordance with extant planning permission 12/678/VR)
Stews, (Land Near), South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RL
Received 22 Jun 2015 - Decided15/317/APN
Erect a GP shed
Snippigar, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QQ
Received 22 Jun 2015 - Decided15/318/PN
Install 3 antennae and open femto boxes
St Andrews School (Land Near), St Andrews Community Centre (Land Near) & Horries (Land Near), Orkney
Received 12 Jun 2015 - Decided15/319/PP
Create additional site, erect a house with solar panels and create an access
Breckan Brae (Plot 8 & 8A) (Land Near), St Marys, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RR
Received 23 Jun 2015 - Decided15/320/AMC
Erect a replacement house with an air source heat pump and create an access (following permission on principle - 12/211/PIP)
The Tower (Land Near), Tower Road, Orphir, Orkney, KW17 2RD
Received 24 Jun 2015 - Decided15/321/LB
Display signage
20 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HR
Received 24 Jun 2015 - Decided15/322/AMC
Erect a house with air source heat pump and create an access (following permission on principle - 13/512/PIP)
Daisybank (Plot 4) (Land Near), Berstane Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NA
Received 25 Jun 2015 - Decided15/323/PP
Erect a house with integral garage, install an air source heat pump and create an access
9 Queen Elizabeth Way (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1ZN
Received 25 Jun 2015 - Decided15/324/PP
Extend a house (retrospective)
Orkney Hoose, Herston Road, Herston, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RH
Received 25 Jun 2015 - Decided15/325/PP
Install an air source heat pump
Orams, 17 Papdale Crescent, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1JS
Received 29 Jun 2015 - Decided15/326/PP
Extend a house
Aldersyde, Lyde Road, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2LA
Received 29 Jun 2015 - Decided15/327/PP
Erect an agricultural building for cattle housing with underground slurry store
Twatt Farm, Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2LN
Received 30 Jun 2015 - Decided15/328/PP
Erect an agricultural building
Brockan, Outertown Road, Stromness Parish, Orkney, KW16 3JP
Received 30 Jun 2015 - Decided15/329/PP
Change of use of house and outbuildings along with the temporary change of use of agricultural land to excavation use, temporary siting of associated buildings and structures and create parking area (retrospective)
Ness Of Brodgar Archaeological Excavations, Ness Of Brodgar, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3JE
Received 1 Jul 2015 - Decided15/330/APN
Erect a GP shed
Muce Farm, Birsay, Orkney
Received 1 Jul 2015 - Decided15/331/PP
Install an air source heat pump (retrospective), demolish existing shed and extend a house
East Kirbist, Kirbist Road, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DR
Received 1 Jul 2015 - Decided15/332/PP
Install an air source heat pump
Old Schoolhouse, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QT
Received 2 Jul 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