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9,644 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided25/204/HH
Extend a house and erect domestic shed (part retrospective)
Forsakelda, Birsay, Orkney KW17 2HP
Received 16 Jun 2025 - Decided25/205/PP
Erect a house (replace a redundant building and retain as walled enclosure) (one for one)
Braeside (Land Near), Durkadale Road, Birsay, Orkney,
Received 10 Jun 2025 - Decided25/207/PIP
Siting of a house and create an access (subdivision of garden ground)
Liddlesdale (Land Near), Outertown Road, Stromness, Orkney,
Received 7 Jun 2025 - Decided25/208/PP
Change of use of land from agricultural to domestic and extend a house
Hall Of Clestrain (Farm House), Orphir, Orkney, KW16 3HB
Received 4 Jun 2025 - Decided25/209/SCR
Screening opinion request for sand extraction
Cara Links South Ronaldsay
Received 5 Jun 2025 - Decided25/213/PP
Install three containers and two modular buildings (for shop/storage purposes), two polycarbonate polytunnels, fuel pump and tanks, and a foul drainage system, create car parking and a picnic/rest area (retrospective) and create an access (amendment to 13/008/TPP)
Store, Hillfield, Sanday, Orkney KW17 2AY
Received 12 Jun 2025 - Decided25/214/PP
Erect a (replacement) community hall with air source heat pumps, alter parking, install foul drainage and associated infrastructure
Clinkhammer (Land Near), Westray, Orkney KW17 2DB
Received 13 Jun 2025 - Decided25/216/LB
Install a stove, flue liner and cowl
Howan, Onziebust Road, Egilsay, Orkney, KW17 2QD
Received 16 Jun 2025 - Decided25/217/PP
Erect a house and install an air source heat pump (Plot 9) (amendment to part of 24/008/PP)
Greenfield (Land Near, (Plot 9), Toab, Orkney
Received 16 Jun 2025 - Decided25/218/HH
Extend a house
Bahrein, Weyland Bay, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1TD
Received 17 Jun 2025 - Decided25/219/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and detached garage, and create an access
Hewing (Land Near), Redland Road, Firth, Orkney KW17 2EU
Received 17 Jun 2025 - Unknown22/340/NMV/01
Amend roller shutter doors with cladding panels
Sandybank (Land Near), Stronsay, Orkney KW17 2AE
Received 13 Jun 2025 - Decided25/220/PP
Convert a guest house (Class 7) to a house
Ayre Of Cara, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2TH
Received 18 Jun 2025 - Decided25/221/PP
Change of use from a flat to a self-catering unit
52A Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1HQ
Received 23 Jun 2025 - Decided25/222/PP
Convert former surgery to domestic (extend a house)
Greystones, Evie, Orkney KW17 2PQ
Received 23 Jun 2025 - Decided25/223/LB
Extend engine shed to create museum
Longhope Lifeboat Museum, Haven Road, Hoy, Orkney KW16 3NZ
Received 23 Jun 2025 - Decided25/224/PP
Erect a museum, incorporating existing engine shed, construct parking, paths and surface water and foul drainage systems, install external lighting, a flagpole, bin store and bicycle stand
Longhope Lifeboat Museum, Haven Road, Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3NZ
Received 23 Jun 2025 - Unknown25/069/NMV/01
Change surfacing from wetpour to grass mats and remove the second proposed entry point and lowering of kerb.
Stenness Primary School, Ireland Road, Stenness Village, Stenness, Orkney KW16 3LB
Received 23 Jun 2025 - Unknown24/018/NMV/01
Amend external wall finishes to porch
Ballochmyle, Deerness Road, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1SW
Received 24 Jun 2025 - Decided25/225/PN
Install dish and associated equipment
Sanday Radio Station, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2BA
Received 17 Jun 2025 - Unknown25/018/NMV/01
Amend window positions and add a vent
Kingdom Hall Willow Road Kirkwall Orkney Islands KW15 1NL
Received 24 Jun 2025 - Decided25/226/PP
Install two ground mounted solar arrays and associated cabling
Mossclair, Tankerness Hall Road, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney KW17 2QR
Received 25 Jun 2025 - Withdrawn/Returned25/227/PIP
Siting of three houses and create two accesses
Merlehaven (Land Near), South Ronaldsay, Orkney,
Received 25 Jun 2025 - Decided25/228/LB
Install replacement wall and roof cladding, rainwater goods, and window, alter bridge and remove internal platform and partitions
Longhope Lifeboat Museum, Haven Road, Hoy, Orkney KW16 3NZ
Received 25 Jun 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