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9,644 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided24/492/PP
Strip slates from roof and demolish part of building
1 King Street, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 20 Dec 2024 - Decided24/493/PP
Change of use from a flat to a self-catering unit, install replacement windows and doors and install two air source heat pump
10 Bridge Street Wynd, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1JD
Received 20 Dec 2024 - Decided24/494/PP
Change of use from a store (Class 6) to a yoga and pilates studio (Class 11, assembly and leisure)
26 George Street, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 30 Dec 2024 - Decided24/495/PP
Erect a self-catering pod
Cletyan (Land Near) Ireland Road, Stenness, Orkney KW16 3EZ
Received 31 Dec 2024 - Decided25/001/PP
Install a storage shed, intermodal container, and a freestanding solar array (part amendment to 24/191/PP)
Sheila Fleet Jewellery (Land Near), Gransetter Road, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney
Received 6 Jan 2025 - Decided25/002/HH
Install foul water pipe and raise path level
2 South End, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3DJ
Received 7 Jan 2025 - Unknown22/382/NMV/01
Amend location of house on plot one by one meter
Cairston Road (Land Near), Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3JS
Received 6 Jan 2025 - Decided25/003/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump (subdivision of curtilage) and create an access
Aitherton (Land Near), Sandwick, Orkney
Received 8 Jan 2025 - Decided25/004/HH
Install an air source heat pump
6 Graham Place, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BY
Received 9 Jan 2025 - Decided25/005/HH
Alter a house (retrospective)
Strathearn, Orphir Village, Orphir, Orkney KW17 2RB
Received 9 Jan 2025 - Decided25/006/PP
Change of use from a flat to a self-catering unit
67 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DQ
Received 9 Jan 2025 - Decided25/007/HH
Extend a house
Daisybank, Smittaldy Road, Westray, Orkney KW17 2DP
Received 14 Jan 2025 - Unknown25/008/APN
Erect a GP shed
Brettobreck, Kirbister Road, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3HU
Received 16 Jan 2025 - Unknown20/374/NMV/02
Amend location of house
Rowland, (Land Near) Cleat Road, Holm, Orkney KW17 2RY
Received 13 Jan 2025 - Decided25/010/HH
Remove stone slates and install cement fibre tiles
Harpsa, Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2ND
Received 20 Jan 2025 - Decided25/011/PP
Extend community centre
Flotta Primary School, Flotta, Orkney KW16 3NP
Received 20 Jan 2025 - Decided25/012/HH
Extend a house
24 Slater Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1PQ
Received 22 Jan 2025 - Decided25/013/PP
Erect seven self-catering pods with plastic cladding, create car parking, install bollard lighting, water supply pipes, foul drainage, surface water drainage including cellural storage soakaways, and associated landscaping
Grainbank House, Hatston Brae, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1RD
Received 23 Jan 2025 - Decided25/014/HH
Install an air source heat pump
24 Alfred Street, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3DF
Received 16 Jan 2025 - Decided25/015/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump
Kingswood (Land Near), Croval Road, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3JW
Received 17 Jan 2025 - Decided25/016/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and integral garage (replace a redundant building) (one for one)
Geroin (Land Near), Geroin Road, Harray, Orkney KW17 2JR
Received 24 Jan 2025 - Unknown25/017/PN
Peatland restoration
Hobbister Moor, Orphir, Orkney
Received 20 Jan 2025 - Decided25/018/PP
Demolish existing and construct replacement extension, re-render and replace windows and doors
Kingdom Hall, Willow Road, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1NL
Received 24 Jan 2025 - Decided25/019/AMC
Erect a house and create an access (following planning permission in principle 24/283/PP) (resubmission of 24/446/AMC)
Nether Onston (Land Near), Stenness, Orkney KW16 3JX
Received 27 Jan 2025
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