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 dates11,981Searchable applications
138Recorded as pending
96%Approval rate · 10,078 approved or refused records
434Refused applications
9,644 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 24 Sept 1979 to 5 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 16 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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- Withdrawn/Returned24/436/PP
Erect three self-catering units with air source heat pumps
Furrowend, Eday, Orkney KW17 2AB
Received 7 Nov 2024 - Decided24/437/PP
Reinstate a house, extend, install an air source heat pump and alter an access
South Cott, Eday, Orkney KW17 2AB
Received 7 Nov 2024 - Decided24/439/PP
Reinstate two former dwellings and extend, erect two replacement houses (2 x two for one), and install four air source heat pumps
Former Farmhouse At Stove, Stove Road, Deerness, Orkney
Received 8 Nov 2024 - Unknown24/440/APN
Erect a GP shed
Tormiston, Stenness, Orkney KW16 3HH
Received 11 Nov 2024 - Decided24/441/AMC
Erect a replacement house with an air source heat pump and detached garage (following planning permission in principle 23/462/PIP
Shaird (Land Near), Hools Road, South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 11 Nov 2024 - Withdrawn/Returned24/442/PP
Erect four houses with integral garages and air source heat pumps, create an access, install a communal foul drainage system and associated landscaping
Fernlea (Land Near), Netherbrough Road, Harray, Orkney
Received 12 Nov 2024 - Decided24/443/PP
Erect a house for an agricultural worker
Rossmyre (Land Near), Old Finstown Road, Firth, Orkney
Received 15 Nov 2024 - Decided24/444/PP
Change of use from a flat to a self-catering unit
3 Matches Square, Junction Road, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1AU
Received 13 Nov 2024 - Unknown24/445/PN
Peatland restoration
Hill Of Clestrain Orphir Orkney
Received 11 Nov 2024 - Withdrawn/Returned24/446/AMC
Erect a house (reinstatement), exttend and create an access (following planning permission in principle 24/283/PIP)
Nether Onston (Land Near), Stenness, Orkney
Received 18 Nov 2024 - Decided24/447/PP
Erect three self-catering pods (retrospective)
Carlynya, Back Road, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3DU
Received 19 Nov 2024 - Decided24/448/CLEUD
Regularise the use of land from agricultural to storage (Class 6) (for marine equipment)
Hallmyre, Bloomfield Road, St Ola, Orkney KW15 1TR
Received 20 Nov 2024 - Decided24/449/PIP
Siting of a house for retiring farmers
Upper Ellibister (Land Near), Rendall, Orkney
Received 21 Nov 2024 - Decided24/453/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and a detached garage, and create an access (amendment to 22/083/PP) (retrospective)
8 Wyng, Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3PQ
Received 22 Nov 2024 - Decided24/454/PP
Erect a switchgear building
Scapa Distillery, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1SE
Received 22 Nov 2024 - Decided24/455/PP
Convert offices (Class 1A) to four flats and install replacement windows and doors
Anchor Buildings, 10 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1HR
Received 22 Nov 2024 - Decided24/456/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and create an access
Burnside (Land Near), Evie, Orkney KW17 2PH
Received 25 Nov 2024 - Awaiting decision24/457/PP
Siting of two caravans as self-catering units (retrospective)
Miry Park, Laminess Road, Sanday, Orkney KW17 2BA
Received 26 Nov 2024 - Decided24/460/PP
Create (relocate) an access (to serve approved development) (resubmission of 24/384/PP)
Errival, Dalespot, St Ola, Orkney
Received 29 Nov 2024 - Decided24/461/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump
Sittadale Park (Land Near), Berstane Road, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 29 Nov 2024 - Decided24/462/CLEUD
Certificate of lawfullness to carry out alterations to a house
Denbigh, Stoneyhill Road, Harray, Orkney KW17 2JS
Received 2 Dec 2024 - Decided24/463/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and air source heat pump (subdivision of curtilage)
Cara (Land Near), South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 2 Dec 2024 - Decided24/464/CLEUD
Regularise the use of a building as three self-catering units
Sandstone, Granite & Westslate Brownstown Road, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3JN
Received 25 Nov 2024 - Decided24/465/PP
Change of use from three flats to a boarding house (Class 7), install replacement windows and doors and install air source heat pump
3 Castle Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DF
Received 4 Dec 2024
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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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