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9,643 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Unknown19/175/SCO
Scoping opinion request to erect 6 x 4MW wind turbines (max height 150 metres)
Quanterness, Orkney
Received 26 Apr 2019 - Decided19/176/PP
Change of use of footway to cafe standing area, install bunting, lights and planters, and extend opening hours (part retrospective)
7 Strynd, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HG
Received 30 Apr 2019 - Decided19/177/PP
Erect a dry stone bench
Carpark (Land Near), Finstown, Orkney
Received 30 Apr 2019 - Decided19/178/PP
Erect a slatted byre
Garson, Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3JD
Received 2 May 2019 - Decided19/180/PP
Erect a house with integral garage and air source heat pump (amendment to 18/301/PP)
1 Moar Drive, Kirkwall, Orkney,
Received 3 May 2019 - Decided19/181/PN
Install a pole, antennae, 2 cabinets and associated works
Birsay BT Exchange, Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2LY
Received 3 May 2019 - Decided19/182/PN
Install a pole, antennae, 2 cabinets and associated works
Longhope BT Exchange, Hoy, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3PG
Received 3 May 2019 - Decided19/183/APN
Erect a GP shed
Copenago, Copenago Road, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QS
Received 6 May 2019 - Decided19/184/PP
Erect a shed
2 Crowness Park (Land Near), Sparrowhawk Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1GE
Received 6 May 2019 - Decided19/185/HH
Extend a house
Pole, Ness Road, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2TA
Received 7 May 2019 - Decided19/186/EB
Lay an 11kV underground cable
Sanday, Orkney
Received 7 May 2019 - Decided19/187/APN
Erect a GP shed
Lythes, Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3PA
Received 8 May 2019 - Decided19/188/PIP
Siting of a house
Ayreside (Land Near), Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3NZ
Received 8 May 2019 - Decided19/189/LB
Install new and replacement windows, alter and remove partitions, install en-suite bathrooms, alter doors, and other internal alterations
Graemeshall House, Graemeshall Road, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RX
Received 9 May 2019 - Decided19/190/PP
Change of use from house to guest house (Class 7)
Graemeshall House, Graemeshall Road, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RX
Received 9 May 2019 - Decided19/191/PP
Change of use of shed from storage (Class 6) to Men's shed (Class 10) and extend (part-retrospective)
The Shed, Maitland Place, Finstown, KW17 2EG
Received 9 May 2019 - Decided19/192/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump and domestic outbuildings
Braehead (Land Near), Rousay, Orkney
Received 13 May 2019 - Decided19/193/PP
Change of use from a gallery to a house
Watersound Gallery, Village Road, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SS
Received 13 May 2019 - Decided19/194/PP
Install a ground source heat pump system and erect a plant room (part retrospective)
Smiddybrae House, Vetquoy Road, Dounby, Sandwick, Orkney, KW17 2HH
Received 14 May 2019 - Decided19/195/HH
Extend a house
Heatherybraes, Heatherybraes Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3JP
Received 14 May 2019 - Decided19/196/PP
Paint walls and install hooks
21 Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HP
Received 14 May 2019 - Decided19/199/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump (one for one)
Westheath, Stratheast Road, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2SA
Received 15 May 2019 - Decided19/200/PP
Erect a replacement house with integral garage and an air source heat pump, and erect a domestic shed with an air source heat pump (amendment to 16/403)
Muckle Twinness (Land Near), St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QT
Received 15 May 2019 - Decided19/201/AMC
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and create an access (following permission in principle - 18/228/PIP)
Skelbister (Land Near), Orphir, Orkney, KW16 3HD
Received 16 May 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
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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