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9,644 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided25/020/PP
Erect a slurry tank
Langskaill (Land Near), Kirbister Road, Stromness, Orkney
Received 27 Jan 2025 - Decided25/022/HH
Extend a house
11 Cromwell Road, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1LH
Received 27 Jan 2025 - Decided25/023/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and integral garage (replace a house) (one for one)
The Chalet Midhouse, Sunnybank Road, St Ola, Orkney KW15 1TP
Received 28 Jan 2025 - Decided25/024/PP
Erect two houses, construct a shared access track, install communal drainage infrastructure, install solar arrays and create an access (resubmission of 23/189/PP)
Rosebank (Land Near), 21 North End Road, Stromness, Orkney
Received 24 Jan 2025 - Withdrawn/Returned25/025/PP
Erect a house and create an access
Marcroft (Land Near), Sandy Road, Westray, Orkney KW17 2DW
Received 29 Jan 2025 - Decided25/026/PP
Erect an airfield terminal building, alter car parking, and construct bike shelter and associated infrastructure
Eday Airfield, London Bay, Eday, Orkney
Received 30 Jan 2025 - Decided25/027/HH
Erect a domestic garage
Sands View, Hill Road, Shapinsay, Orkney
Received 3 Feb 2025 - Decided25/029/PP
Erect a house and create an access (retrospective)
Bonnie Brae, Tankerness Hall Road, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney KW17 2QS
Received 7 Feb 2025 - Withdrawn/Returned25/030/HH
Remove stone slates from one roof plane, and re-roof with tiles
8 Warrens Walk, Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1DX
Received 7 Feb 2025 - Decided25/031/HH
Extend a house
Kali, 2 Groatsetter Road, St Andrews, Orkney KW17 2QT
Received 7 Feb 2025 - Decided83/291/PP
Extend a house
Midhouse Fidgarth Road Birsay Orkney Islands KW17 2LR
Received 16 Sept 1983 - Decided25/032/PP
Erect a self-catering unit (part retrospective)
Horries, Horries Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QL
Received 11 Feb 2025 - Decided25/033/PIP
Siting of a house
Melfea, Cannigall Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1SX
Received 11 Feb 2025 - Decided25/034/HH
Remove stone slates and re-roof (retrospective)
Horries, Horries Road, Deerness, Orkney KW17 2QL
Received 11 Feb 2025 - Decided25/035/CLOPUD
Construct a slurry lagoon
Howe, Howe Road, Stromness Parish, Orkney KW16 3JU
Received 12 Feb 2025 - Decided25/036/PP
Change of use from a self-catering unit to a flat
2B Graham Place, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3BY
Received 12 Feb 2025 - Decided25/037/PP
Erect three self-catering pods with screen fencing, decking and hot tubs, erect a sauna, construct paths and parking, install a communal foul drainage system, create an access and associated landscaping
Craigiefield Farm, Craigiefield Road, St Ola, Orkney KW15 1UJ
Received 12 Feb 2025 - Unknown25/038/APN
Erect a GP shed
East Cottage, Orphir, Orkney KW17 2RA
Received 13 Feb 2025 - Decided25/039/PP
Erect a house (re-submission of 24/259/PP)
1 Hellihole Road (Land Near), Stromness, Orkney
Received 14 Feb 2025 - Unknown24/304/NMV/01
Construct concrete apron adjacent to door
Stromness Golf Club, Back Road, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3DW
Received 10 Feb 2025 - Decided25/040/LB
Install replacement door and flat roof
Orkney Enterprise, 12 - 14 Queen Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1JE
Received 14 Feb 2025 - Decided25/041/PP
Install replacement door and flat roof
Orkney Enterprise, 12 - 14 Queen Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1JE
Received 14 Feb 2025 - Unknown24/413/NMV/01
Additional window in south elevation
Loft, Sandsdale Road, Hoy, Orkney KW16 3PQ
Received 10 Feb 2025 - Decided25/042/PP
Construct a slurry tank
Holland, Holland Road, Firth, Orkney KW17 2EU
Received 14 Feb 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
All planning guides
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Read planning drawings, floor plans, elevations and sections. Use labelled diagrams, a drawing comparison table and revision checks to understand a proposal.
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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