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9,639 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided16/002/PP
Create an access and erect a fence
Well Park, Stromness
Received 5 Jan 2016 - Decided16/003/HH
Install an air source heat pump
Upper Flat, 22 Garden Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1JA
Received 6 Jan 2016 - Decided16/004/HH
Demolition of existing garage and erection of replacement garage
Easdale House, Easdale Loan, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1RU
Received 7 Jan 2016 - Decided16/005/HH
Extend a house
Mucklehouse, Stews Road, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RL
Received 7 Jan 2016 - Decided16/006/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump
Site Near Ballyshannon, Scapa, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 7 Jan 2016 - Decided16/007/PIP
Siting of a house
Stenaday (Land Near), Heddle Road, Finstown, Orkney
Received 8 Jan 2016 - Decided16/008/HH
Install an air source heat pump
Fairholm, Finstown, Orkney, KW17 2EQ
Received 8 Jan 2016 - Decided16/009/TC
Crown thinning and reduction
132 Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BU
Received 11 Jan 2016 - Decided16/010/PIP
Siting of a replacement house
Barm (Land Near), Redland Road, Finstown, Orkney, KW17 2EU
Received 11 Jan 2016 - Decided16/011/PN
Install a telecommunications box
Grainayre, St Ola, Kirkwall, KW15 1RD
Received 11 Jan 2016 - Decided16/012/PN
Install a telecommunications box
16 Old Scapa Road (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1BB
Received 11 Jan 2016 - Withdrawn/Returned16/013/HH
Install an air source heat pump
120 Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BU
Received 12 Jan 2016 - Decided16/015/PP
Erect a GP shed
Clestrain (Land Near), Stronsay, Orkney, KW17 2AT
Received 13 Jan 2016 - Decided16/016/PIP
Siting of a replacement house
Roadside Cottage, Dounby
Received 14 Jan 2016 - Decided16/017/PP
Amendment to design of house
Horsick (Land Near), St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QU
Received 15 Jan 2016 - Decided16/014/PN
Install a cabinet and replace 2 antenna
Sanday Radio Station, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2BA
Received 15 Jan 2016 - Decided16/018/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump
Hegra (Land Near), Lynn Park, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1SL
Received 19 Jan 2016 - Decided16/019/CLEUD
Change of use from residential to self catering
Waaness, Littlequoy Road, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SX
Received 19 Jan 2016 - Decided16/020/PP
Change of use from school to dwelling, extend, and install an air source heat pump
Old Orphir School, Scorradale Road, Orphir, Orkney
Received 18 Jan 2016 - Decided16/021/PP
Change of use from house to office (Class 4) (retrospective)
Euston, Downies Lane, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3EP
Received 19 Jan 2016 - Decided16/022/PP
Change of use of land and erect a domestic garage
Quoygrew, Anfield, Tankerness, Orkney, KW17 2QR
Received 19 Jan 2016 - Decided16/023/HH
Install an air source heat pump (retrospective)
57 Quoybanks Crescent, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1EN
Received 20 Jan 2016 - Decided16/024/HH
Erect a garage
4 Grainepark, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1UL
Received 21 Jan 2016 - Decided16/025/MAR
Install maturation lighting
Quanterness, Wide Firth, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 21 Jan 2016
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