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
139Recorded as pending
96%Approval rate · 10,077 approved or refused records
434Refused applications
9,643 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 24 Sept 1979 to 5 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 15 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided19/122/PP
Change of use from agricultural to domestic
Breckbesouth Community Centre Road Birsay Orkney Islands KW17 2ND
Received 20 Mar 2019 - Decided19/123/HH
Install an air source heat pump (retrospective)
Cobbler's Cottage, Back Road, St Margarets Hope, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2SP
Received 21 Mar 2019 - Decided19/124/MAR
Create salmon farming site comprising of 16 x 100 metre circumference circular cages arranged in a 2 x (2 x 4) formation with a 70 metre grid, with a 300 tonne capacity semi-automated feed barge
Mill Bay, Stronsay, Orkney
Received 22 Mar 2019 - Decided19/125/HH
Re-roof, install replacement door, windows and glazing units, paint door and erect a shed
1 Melvin Place, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3DD
Received 22 Mar 2019 - Decided19/126/LB
Re-roof, install replacement door, windows and glazing units and paint door
1 Melvin Place, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3DD
Received 22 Mar 2019 - Decided19/127/APN
Erect a GP shed
Brettovale, North Bigging Road, Harray, Orkney KW17 2HZ
Received 26 Mar 2019 - Decided19/128/PP
Erect a shed for metal fabrication
Site 7, Garson Place, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3EE
Received 25 Mar 2019 - Decided19/129/PP
Reinstate and extend a house, erect a garage, install an air source heat pump and create an access
Savedale Cottage (Land Near), Sandwick, Orkney
Received 26 Mar 2019 - Decided19/130/PP
Convert redundant building to a house and erect a house (two for one)
1 Congesquoy, Howe Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3JU
Received 26 Mar 2019 - Decided19/131/HH
Extend house and install an air source heat pump
Kinsarvik, The Keelies, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1GA
Received 27 Mar 2019 - Decided19/133/HH
Extend a house
Newhouse, Stembister Road, St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QG
Received 27 Mar 2019 - Decided19/134/LB
Install a plaque
Kirkwall Sea Wall, Harbour Street, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 28 Mar 2019 - Decided19/135/PP
Install a plaque and bronze strip
Kirkwall Sea Wall, Harbour Street, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 28 Mar 2019 - Withdrawn/Returned19/136/HH
Re-roof a house
Ingaskeldt, Deerness Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1SS
Received 28 Mar 2019 - Decided19/137/AMC
Erect a house with integral garage
St Clair (Plot 1), Old Finstown Road, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 28 Mar 2019 - Decided19/138/LB
Construct replacement elevator tower
Highland Park Distillery, Holm Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1RX
Received 1 Apr 2019 - Decided19/139/PP
Change of use of land to domestic and erect a garage and boundary wall
Millhouse (Land Near), Evie, Orkney
Received 1 Apr 2019 - Decided19/140/PP
Construct replacement elevator tower
Highland Park Distillery, Holm Road , Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1RX
Received 1 Apr 2019 - Decided19/141/PP
Install a bench
St Peters Church, Bay Of Skaill, Sandwick, Orkney, KW163LR
Received 1 Apr 2019 - Decided19/143/PPMAJ
Extend a quarry, continued extraction of stone and restoration and landscaping
Cursiter Quarry, Old Finstown Road, Firth, Orkney, KW15 1TT
Received 2 Apr 2019 - Decided19/144/PP
Reinstate and extend a house
Nistaben, Papa Westray, Orkney
Received 2 Apr 2019 - Withdrawn/Returned19/145/PP
Erect a replacement house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump (one for one)
Ben Earn, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2JU
Received 2 Apr 2019 - Decided19/146/MARPN
Replace top nets and associated fixings
South Cava, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Received 3 Apr 2019 - Decided19/147/PP
Extend a hall and install five air source heat pumps
St Andrews Community Centre, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QS
Received 3 Apr 2019
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