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9,644 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided24/411/PP
Re-clad walls and roof of storage shed
Gill Pier, Westray, Orkney
Received 21 Oct 2024 - Decided24/412/PP
Erect an agricultural shed
Craigview (Land Near), Tankerness Hall Road, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney
Received 21 Oct 2024 - Decided24/413/HH
Erect a domestic shed
Loft, Sandsdale Road, Hoy, Orkney KW16 3PQ
Received 21 Oct 2024 - Decided24/414/HH
Install a dormer window
18 Rope Walk, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1XJ
Received 21 Oct 2024 - Withdrawn/Returned24/415/PP
Erect an airfield terminal building, create an access, construct car parking, bike shelter and associated infrastructure
Eday Airfield And Building, Eday, Orkney
Received 21 Oct 2024 - Withdrawn/Returned24/416/PP
Erect an airfield terminal building, extend car parking, and associated infrastructure
Westray Airfield And Building, Aikerness Road, Westray, Orkney
Received 21 Oct 2024 - Unknown24/417/APN
Erect a GP shed
Cleatonbrae, Cleat Road, Westray, Orkney KW17 2DB
Received 23 Oct 2024 - Unknown24/418/APN
Erect a GP shed
Howe, Geroin Road, Harray, Orkney KW17 2JR
Received 23 Oct 2024 - Decided24/419/PP
Paint shop front, windows and door and replace tiles
1 Broad Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1HE
Received 23 Oct 2024 - Decided24/420/PP
Extend a hotel (part amendment to 19/380/PP), including metal and stone slab wall cladding, and projecting windows
Albert Hotel, Mounthoolie Place, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1HW
Received 24 Oct 2024 - Decided24/421/PP
Change of use from an annex to a self-catering unit
1 Hamnavoe Apartments, Ferry Road, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3AE
Received 17 Oct 2024 - Decided24/422/HH
Extend a domestic garage (resubmission of 24/349/HH)
24 George Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1PP
Received 28 Oct 2024 - Awaiting decision24/423/MARMAJ
Create salmon farming site comprising of 12 x 140 metre circumference circular cages in a 100 metre mooring grid, with pole mounted top nets, underwater lighting, and 250 tonne capacity automated feed barge (replacement of existing equipment)
Veantrow Bay, Shapinsay, Orkney
Received 28 Oct 2024 - Decided24/424/PP
Change of use from a flat to a self-catering unit (retrospective)
Nether Handley Flat, Berstane Road, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1SZ
Received 30 Oct 2024 - Decided24/425/PP
Change of use from a flat to a self-catering unit
73B Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DQ
Received 30 Oct 2024 - Decided24/426/HH
Erect a domestic shed
Sandmar, Tankerness Hall Road, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney KW17 2QR
Received 28 Oct 2024 - Unknown20/374/NMV/01
Reduce building size, and amend windows and doors
Rowland (Land Near), Cleat Road Holm Orkney Islands KW17 2RY
Received 28 Oct 2024 - Decided24/428/VR
Vary condition 06 (remove fuel tanks) of planning permission 23/016/PP, to retain and fill tanks
Market Green, Hillside Road, Dounby, Orkney, KW17 2HT
Received 5 Nov 2024 - Withdrawn/Returned24/429/PP
Erect a house with three air source heat pumps and integral garage, associated landscaping and upgrade an access
Ferneybrae, Mill Bay Road, Eday, Orkney
Received 5 Nov 2024 - Decided24/430/PP
Alter window and door layout, construct an access ramp and install an air source heat pump
Wolstenholme, Crowness Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1RG
Received 6 Nov 2024 - Withdrawn/Returned24/432/VR
Vary condition 07 (provision of footway) of planning permission 22/382/PP, to reduce extent of footway
Cairston Road (Land Near), Stromness, Orkney,
Received 6 Nov 2024 - Withdrawn/Returned24/433/PP
Demolish former public house/hostel, erect a public house and restaurant, install two air source heat pumps, create parking and associated landscaping
Furrowend, Eday, Orkney KW17 2AB
Received 6 Nov 2024 - Decided24/434/LB
Remove stone slates and install temporary sheet metal roof covering
Langskaill, Langskaill Road West, Westray, Orkney KW17 2DR
Received 7 Nov 2024 - Withdrawn/Returned24/435/PP
Change of use of part of a fabrication shed (Class 5) to a microbrewery (Class 4) including taproom
Waterfront Steel, Plot H61, Crowness Road, Hatston Industrial Estate, Orkney
Received 7 Nov 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