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9,643 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided22/078/HH
Erect a domestic garage
West Linklater, Linklater Road, Sandwick, Orkney, KW17 2JG
Received 3 Mar 2022 - Decided22/079/PP
Erect 2 houses with detached garages and air source heat pumps and create two accesses
Fernside (Land Near), Everbay Road, Stronsay, Orkney, KW17 2AG
Received 3 Mar 2022 - Decided22/080/SCO
Scoping opinion request to erect 4 x 6.6MW wind turbines (maximum height 180m)
Hundland Hill (Land Near), Birsay, Orkney
Received 3 Mar 2022 - Decided22/083/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and a detached garage
7 Wyng (Land Near), Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3PQ
Received 7 Mar 2022 - Decided22/085/LB
Install a combi boiler, replacement oil tank and internal alterations
Madras Villa, Bignold Park Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1PT
Received 7 Mar 2022 - Decided22/086/LB
Install lead capping at entrance and replacement rainwater goods and internal repairs
12 - 14 Queen Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1JE
Received 8 Mar 2022 - Decided22/087/PP
Reinstate a house, install an air source heat pump and erect a polytunnel
Grudair, Evie, Orkney, KW17 2PJ
Received 8 Mar 2022 - Decided22/088/LB
Replace roof covering, including glazing, install a rooflight and replacement door and windows and internal alterations
Holland House, Main Road, North Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2BG
Received 9 Mar 2022 - Decided22/089/PP
Change of use of outbuilding to bird ringing facility and install a solar panel
Holland House, Main Road, North Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2BG
Received 9 Mar 2022 - Decided22/090/PP
Extend a brewery and visitor centre and install an air source heat pump
Swannay Brewery, Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2NP
Received 10 Mar 2022 - Decided22/091/HH
Install a replacement window
65 Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HQ
Received 10 Mar 2022 - Decided22/092/LB
Install a replacement window
65 Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HQ
Received 10 Mar 2022 - Decided22/093/PN
Install a 5m tower extension to existing lattice tower with 3 antennae, dishes, ERS, cabinets and associated works
Berriedale Farm (Land Near), South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2TQ
Received 8 Mar 2022 - Decided22/094/HH
Erect a domestic garage/workshop and install solar panels
Guardhouse, Back Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3JR
Received 14 Mar 2022 - Decided22/095/PP
Install fibre optic cables
Papa Westray (East), Orkney
Received 14 Mar 2022 - Decided22/096/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump
Castlehame (Land Near), Carness Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1UE
Received 14 Mar 2022 - Decided22/097/PP
Siting of 17 houses with air source heat pumps, road infrastructure and associated landscaping
Walliwall (Land Near) (K5), Phase 1a, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 14 Mar 2022 - Decided22/098/PP
Install an air source heat pump
54 Junction Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AG
Received 14 Mar 2022 - Decided22/099/TC
Fell a tree and prune a tree
Oakhurst, Willow Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NJ
Received 14 Mar 2022 - Decided22/100/HH
Erect a garage
East Due Deerness Orkney Islands KW17 2QQ
Received 14 Mar 2022 - Decided22/101/HH
Extend a house including integral garage
Alendale, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QQ
Received 14 Mar 2022 - Decided22/102/LB
Install replacement ridge tiles and stone lintel
The Girnel House, 22 Harbour Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LE
Received 15 Mar 2022 - Withdrawn/Returned22/103/AMC
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump (following permission in principle 20/210/PIP)
The Gables, Tankerness Hall Road, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QR
Received 16 Mar 2022 - Decided22/104/AMC
Erect a replacement house with a detached garage and an air source heat pump, and convert a redundant building to a house and extend, install an air source heat pump and erect a detached garage (two for one) (following permission in principle 20/114/PIP)
Blinkbonny (Site 2 & 3), Herston, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RH
Received 16 Mar 2022
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