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9,644 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Unknown24/219/PN
Peatland restoration
Hammars Hill (Land Near) Rendall Orkney
Received 30 May 2024 - Decided24/220/HH
Extend a house
Brekka, Cleat Road, South Ronaldsay, Orkney KW17 2RW
Received 3 Jun 2024 - Unknown24/221/APN
Erect an agricultural polytunnel
Westerhouse, Wattle Road, Birsay, Orkney KW17 2LS
Received 3 Jun 2024 - Decided24/222/HH
Erect a garage (retrospective)
Brekka, Harray, Orkney KW17 2LG
Received 3 Jun 2024 - Decided24/223/LB
Display two mounted fascia signs and a name plaque
8 Laing Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1NW
Received 3 Jun 2024 - Decided24/224/AD
Display two mounted fascia signs and a name plaque
8 Laing Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1NW
Received 3 Jun 2024 - Decided24/226/PP
Install a ground mounted solar array
Aikerskaill, Aikerskaill Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QJ
Received 4 Jun 2024 - Decided24/227/PP
Erect a house (retrospective), extend and erect a garage
Hyma, Cloke Road, Birsay, Orkney KW17 2HY
Received 4 Jun 2024 - Decided24/228/PP
Construct retaining walls
8 - 10 Moar Drive, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands
Received 4 Jun 2024 - Withdrawn/Returned24/229/PP
Erect a self-catering unit
Vestness, Central Road, Papa Westray, Orkney, KW17 2BU
Received 4 Jun 2024 - Decided24/230/HH
Extend a house
Rullinvoe, 2 Balfour Cottage, Shapinsay, Orkney
Received 5 Jun 2024 - Withdrawn/Returned24/231/PP
Change of use from a flat to a self-catering unit
1 Buttquoy House, Buttquoy Drive, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1JJ
Received 6 Jun 2024 - Decided24/232/PP
Erect an agricultural shed (retrospective)
Kirkhouse, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RH
Received 6 Jun 2024 - Decided24/233/PP
Alter shop front including sculpted metal and create a balcony
50 Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1HQ
Received 10 Jun 2024 - Decided24/234/PP
Erect a polycarbonate polytunnel and shed
Brekka, Cleat Road, South Ronaldsay, Orkney KW17 2RW
Received 10 Jun 2024 - Withdrawn/Returned24/235/PP
Temporary siting (5 years) of modular site office and associated works including perimeter fence and footway
Power Station, Great Western Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AN
Received 10 Jun 2024 - Unknown24/236/APN
Erect a GP shed
Braeside (Land Near), Woodwick Road, Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2HD
Received 11 Jun 2024 - Decided24/237/HH
Erect a domestic shed (retrospective)
The Mad Hatter, Northside Road, Birsay, Orkney KW17 2LU
Received 11 Jun 2024 - Withdrawn/Returned24/238/PP
Erect a self-catering cabin with an air source heat pump
Baikies Noust, Evie Village, Evie, Orkney KW17 2PJ
Received 12 Jun 2024 - Decided24/239/VR
Vary condition 04 of planning permission 08/249/PPF to amend duration of operation from 20 years from date of decision (to January 2029) to 25 years from the commissioning date (to October 2036)
Ore Brae, Hoy, Orkney
Received 12 Jun 2024 - Decided24/240/PP
Erect an agricultural shed (Retrospective)
Kirkhouse, South Ronaldsay, Orkney KW17 2RH
Received 12 Jun 2024 - Unknown24/241/PN
Install three replacement antennae, a GPs module, cabinet and ancillary development
Keelylang Hill, Firth, Orkney, KW15 1TT
Received 11 Jun 2024 - Decided24/242/HH
Convert redundant outbuilding to domestic annex
Gillietrang, Burray, Orkney KW17 2SY
Received 13 Jun 2024 - Unknown24/243/APN
Erect a GP shed
South Breck, Burness Road, Firth, Orkney KW17 2ET
Received 14 Jun 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
All planning guides
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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