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9,643 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided21/249/PP
Change of use of land from agricultural to domestic and erect a shed
Upper Crowrar, Gorseness Road, Rendall, Orkney, KW17 2HD
Received 9 Jun 2021 - Decided21/250/PP
Create a service trench
Loch House (Land Near), Loch-house Road, St Marys, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RT
Received 9 Jun 2021 - Unknown20/051/NMV/01
Roofing sheets to include see through sheets - 3 on each sideAdditional window in western wall to match window in south facing gableShed moved approx 500mm from Western boundary into site
The Tower Tower Road Orphir Orkney Islands KW17 2RD
Received 9 Jun 2021 - Decided21/251/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump
Seahaven (Land Near), Ness Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3DL
Received 9 Jun 2021 - Unknown20/126/NMV/01
Amendment to roof layout
Breckquoy, Ballarat Road, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2LE
Received 9 Jun 2021 - Decided21/253/HH
Replace roof covering
Lighthouse, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QH
Received 10 Jun 2021 - Decided21/254/HH
Replace part of roof covering
Furso, Ballarat Road, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2LE
Received 10 Jun 2021 - Withdrawn/Returned21/255/LB
Extend a museum, remove cement and apply lime harl and install two air source heat pumps
52 Alfred Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3DF
Received 10 Jun 2021 - Decided21/257/PP
Erect a garage
Lindisfarne, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3EX
Received 14 Jun 2021 - Decided21/258/HH
Erect a flagpole (retrospective)
Borgarnes, Burness Road, Firth, Orkney, KW17 2ET
Received 15 Jun 2021 - Decided21/259/PP
Erect 42 houses, construct a road and sections of footpath, create a communal green space and associated landscaping and infrastructure
Phase 2, Walliwall (Land Near) (K5), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 15 Jun 2021 - Decided21/260/HH
Extend a house
1 Braebuster Cottage, Braebuster Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QL
Received 16 Jun 2021 - Decided21/261/LB
Extend a house
1 Braebuster Cottage, Braebuster Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QL
Received 16 Jun 2021 - Decided21/262/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump (retrospective) (amendment to 12/260/PP)
Nethersands (Land Near), Denwick Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QQ
Received 17 Jun 2021 - Decided21/263/PIP
Siting of a replacement house (one for one)
Woodstock (Land Near), Woodstock Road, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2SD
Received 18 Jun 2021 - Decided21/264/PP
Erect a replacement house (one for one) with an air source heat pump
Heatherhall, Littlequoy Road, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SX
Received 21 Jun 2021 - Decided21/265/PP
Erect two glamping pods and shed, create an access parking and associated landscaping
Kingshouse (Land Near), Hoy, Orkney
Received 22 Jun 2021 - Decided21/266/PP
Erect a three storey block of 15 flats and alter an access, with associated car parking, landscaping and infrastructure
Great Western Road Car Park (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 24 Jun 2021 - Decided21/267/PIP
Siting of a replacement house (one for one) and create an access
Midtown (Land Near), Hoxa Road, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2TW
Received 25 Jun 2021 - Decided21/268/PP
Change of use of land from agricultural to domestic and extend a house
Nearhouse Cottage, Groatsetter Road, St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QT
Received 29 Jun 2021 - Decided21/269/AMC
Erect three houses with air source heat pumps (two with integral garage), create an access and install services (following permission in principle 20/301/PIP)
Burnbank (Land Near), Burray Village, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SS
Received 1 Jul 2021 - Decided21/270/HH
Extend a house
Varhjem, Tankerness Hall Road, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QR
Received 2 Jul 2021 - Decided21/271/PP
Erect two pods with associated landscaping, car parking and foul drainage system and create an access
Troynhead (Land Near), Sandyhill Road, Shapinsay, Orkney, KW17 2DY
Received 5 Jul 2021 - Withdrawn/Returned21/272/PP
Change of use of shed from agriculture to vehicle repair garage (retrospective)
Dunedin, Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3JD
Received 5 Jul 2021
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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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