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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided15/408/PP
Upgrade existing access and create an access, extend mill, erect a building with turf roof, construct a car park, footpaths, bridge and underpass, install a treatment plant and two air source heat pumps, and landscaping
Tormiston Mill, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3HH
Received 19 Aug 2015 - Decided15/409/MAR
Create a salmon farming site, comprising 16 x 100m circumference cages, 2 x 8 in a 60m grid and include a feed barge
Scapa Flow, Near Tongue Of Westerbister, Holm, Orkney
Received 19 Aug 2015 - Decided15/410/PP
Create 3 serviced house sites
Castlehame (Land Near; And Rear Of Four Seasons, Muckleview And Innischonnel), Carness Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1UE
Received 20 Aug 2015 - Decided15/411/PP
Convert redundant mill to a house, demolish modern structures, re-roof and extend, erect a garage and create an access
Greenwall Mill, Greenwall Road, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2SD
Received 20 Aug 2015 - Decided15/412/LB
Erect extension with timber cladding and slate roof, install timber staircase, install two air source heat pumps and internal alterations
Tormiston Mill, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3HH
Received 21 Aug 2015 - Withdrawn/Returned15/413/PIP
Siting of a replacement house and create an access
Drury (Land Near), Ocklester Road, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2SD
Received 21 Aug 2015 - Decided15/414/PP
Install replacement rooflights
Flat 2, Ivy House, 1 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LD
Received 24 Aug 2015 - Decided15/415/PP
Replace door
2 Dundas Crescent, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1JQ
Received 24 Aug 2015 - Decided15/416/TPO
Crown reduction
Kimberley, Finstown, Orkney, KW17 2EL
Received 24 Aug 2015 - Decided15/417/LB
Remove chimney, alter roof, replace window and door, convert door to window, install replacement rainwater goods and install rooflights
5 Main Street (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1BU
Received 24 Aug 2015 - Decided15/418/PP
Erect a fence (max height 2m)
59 Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HQ
Received 24 Aug 2015 - Decided15/419/PN
Install a telecommunications box
Telephone Exchange (Land Near), Gyre Road, The Noust, Orphir, Orkney
Received 24 Aug 2015 - Decided15/420/LB
Install replacement doors, windows and rainwater goods and paint walls
58 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DN
Received 25 Aug 2015 - Decided15/421/LB
Replace roof coverings, rooflights, dormers, windows, door and rainwater goods. Install lead flashings and alter chimneys
8 Main Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1BU
Received 25 Aug 2015 - Decided15/422/PP
Erect a house with integral garage and install air source heat pumps (amendment to 12/791/PP)
Lynnfield Hotel (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 25 Aug 2015 - Decided15/423/PP
Demolish redundant building, erect 4 flats with associated landscaping and create an access
20 Wellington Street (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AY
Received 26 Aug 2015 - Decided15/424/PP
Replace roof coverings, rooflights, dormers, windows, door and rainwater goods. Install lead flashings and alter chimneys
8 Main Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1BU
Received 26 Aug 2015 - Decided15/425/PP
Install cladding (retrospective)
21 Church Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BA
Received 28 Aug 2015 - Withdrawn/Returned15/426/LB
Remove metal railings and replace concrete base and stairs
Papay War Memorial, Papa Westray, Orkney
Received 28 Aug 2015 - Withdrawn/Returned15/427/PP
Extend a house and install an air source heat pump
32 Buttquoy Crescent, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1JH
Received 28 Aug 2015 - Decided15/428/PP
Change use of land to domestic and erect an outbuilding
Loch House, Loch-house Road, St Mary's, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RT
Received 1 Sept 2015 - Decided15/429/PP
Change of use from a shop to a cafe bar and shop, paint conservatory and alter boundary wall
Robertson & Sons, Church Road, St Margaret's Hope, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2SR
Received 1 Sept 2015 - Decided15/430/PP
Convert bus garage to chapel of rest
Garage, The Quarry Road, Pierowall, Westray, Orkney
Received 2 Sept 2015 - Decided15/431/PN
Erect a 11KV substation
Walliwall (Land Near), Old Finstown Road, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 31 Aug 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
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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