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9,643 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided18/535/HH
Extend a house
Park Cottage, Berstane Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1SZ
Received 20 Dec 2018 - Decided18/536/LB
Demolish existing rear extension and conservatory, extend to side and rear, install replacement dormer windows and timber windows, and internal alterations
Park Cottage, Berstane Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1SZ
Received 20 Dec 2018 - Decided18/538/LB
Remove rooflight and install slate vents
18 Franklin Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3DZ
Received 20 Dec 2018 - Decided18/539/LB
Display sign
30-32 Alfred Street, Stromness, Orkney
Received 21 Dec 2018 - Decided18/540/PIP
Siting of a house
Midtown (Land Near), Hoxa, South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 21 Dec 2018 - Decided18/541/PP
Change of use from domestic to a cafe/bistro (Class 3) and install windows and doors and an air source heat pump
Saintear House, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DP
Received 21 Dec 2018 - Decided18/542/PP
Extend a school, including nursery and relocated main entrance, install surface water filtration area and replacement septic tank, and associated landscaping
St Andrews Primary School, St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QG
Received 21 Dec 2018 - Decided18/543/PP
Create a caravan and camping site with amenity block, hardstanding pitches and hook-up points, install a septic tank, improve track (approximately 500m) and access
Carness, Carness Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1UE
Received 24 Dec 2018 - Decided18/544/PP
Erect a GP shed
Stank, Heatherybraes Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3JP
Received 27 Dec 2018 - Decided19/001/PN
Install a telecommunications cabinet
Ferndale (Land Near), Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2NZ
Received 3 Jan 2019 - Decided19/002/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and a detached garage
Castlehame (Land Near - Plot 12), Carness Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1UE
Received 4 Jan 2019 - Decided19/003/HH
Extend a house
Heatherlea, Weyland Terrace, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LS
Received 7 Jan 2019 - Decided19/004/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump
2 Moar Drive, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 7 Jan 2019 - Decided19/005/CC
Demolish fuel tanks, loading gantry and associated pipework and structures
Scottish Fuels, Shore Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LG
Received 8 Jan 2019 - Decided19/006/PP
Roof over slurry tank to create slatted byre
Hayon, Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2LU
Received 8 Jan 2019 - Decided19/007/APN
Erect a GP shed
Beboran, Harray, Orkney
Received 9 Jan 2019 - Decided19/008/PP
Erect a replacement house (one for one) with air source heat pump (amendment to 18/442/PP)
Sunnybrae (Land Near), Sunnybank Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1TP
Received 9 Jan 2019 - Decided19/010/HH
Extend a house
Mucklehouse, 3 Brims, Hoy, Orkney, KW16 2PZ
Received 10 Jan 2019 - Decided19/011/HH
Erect an outbuilding
Parkhead, Weyland Terrace, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LS
Received 10 Jan 2019 - Decided19/012/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump
Braehead, Rousay, Orkney
Received 11 Jan 2019 - Decided19/013/PP
Install a communications cabinet
Redbraes (Land Near), Ness Road, Stenness, Orkney KW16 3HA
Received 11 Jan 2019 - Decided19/014/PPMAJ
Construct access roads with street lighting, construct footpaths, install boreholes and services and drainage for 138 house sites, construct a surface water detention basin, and associated landscaping
Corse West (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 11 Jan 2019 - Decided19/016/PP
Erect a camping pod and create parking
Dale, Noneyha Road, Eday, Orkney KW17 2AA
Received 14 Jan 2019 - Decided19/017/PP
Change of use of land from agricultural to domestic (retrospective)
Burnlee, Germiston Road, Orphir, Orkney, KW16 3HD
Received 14 Jan 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
Understanding planning · 13 min read
Planning permission drawings: how to read plans
Read planning drawings, floor plans, elevations and sections. Use labelled diagrams, a drawing comparison table and revision checks to understand a proposal.
UK researchPublished Updated
Property research · 13 min read
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.
UK researchPublished Updated
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