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9,643 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided22/471/MARCON
Extend current marine licence to construct, alter or improve the M100P wave energy converter and moorings at a location below the level of Mean High Water Springs until 30th September 2023
Deerness, Orkney
Received 12 Dec 2022 - Decided22/472/PP
Erect a house with a detached garage and an air source heat pump
Noneyha' (Land Near), Noneyha Road, Eday, Orkney, KW17 2AA
Received 13 Dec 2022 - Decided22/473/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump and upgrade an access
Yairsay, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1TZ
Received 13 Dec 2022 - Decided22/474/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump
Kalo (Land Near) (Plot 3), Village Road, Burray Village, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2UG
Received 15 Dec 2022 - Decided22/475/HH
Create an access
Lower Nisthouse, Germiston Road, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3HE
Received 15 Dec 2022 - Decided22/476/PP
Erect a replacement house (one for one) with an integral garage (retrospective)
Diamonds Farm, Stove Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QJ
Received 16 Dec 2022 - Decided22/477/PP
Erect a replacement house (one for one) with an integral garage and an air source heat pump and upgrade an access (resubmission of 22/205/PP)
East Serrigar (Land Near), South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RL
Received 16 Dec 2022 - Decided22/478/PP
Erect a house for a farm worker with an air source heat pump
Diamonds Farm (Land Near), Stove Road, Deerness, Orkney KW17 2QJ
Received 19 Dec 2022 - Decided22/479/AD
Paint a mural
2 Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HP
Received 19 Dec 2022 - Decided22/480/PP
Install a replacement timber door
2 Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HP
Received 19 Dec 2022 - Decided22/481/PP
Change of use of land from agricultural to domestic and extend a house
Sophiecote Cottage, Heddle Road, Finstown, Firth, Orkney, KW17 2JX
Received 19 Dec 2022 - Decided22/482/LB
Remove rooflights
Museum, Scapa Flow Visitor Centre, Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3NT
Received 20 Dec 2022 - Decided22/483/PP
Install a septic tank and soakaway
Upper Park, Rackwick Road, Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3NJ
Received 20 Dec 2022 - Decided22/484/HH
Erect a domestic outbuilding
Braeview Lodge, Stews Road, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RL
Received 21 Dec 2022 - Decided22/470/PN
Install a telecommunications cabinet
8 Quoybanks Crescent (Land Near), Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1EW
Received 20 Dec 2022 - Decided22/485/PP
Erect a replacement house with integral garage and heat pump (one for one)
Turnpike (Land Near), Biggings Road, St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QG
Received 22 Dec 2022 - Decided22/486/PP
Erect two houses with air source heat pumps
6 Johnston's Road (Land Near), Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PZ
Received 22 Dec 2022 - Withdrawn/Returned11/199/NMV/02
Replacing the on-site turbine generator with a different model of 66m tip height
Hammer, Skelwick, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DE
Received 22 Dec 2022 - Decided22/487/MARCON
Undertake Cable Removal and Replacement at a location below the level of Mean High Water Springs
Pentland Firth East, Rackwick Bay To Murkle Bay
Received 22 Dec 2022 - Decided22/488/PP
Temporary siting of a portable office building (three years)
Pier Cottage, Rousay, Orkney, KW17 2PU
Received 22 Dec 2022 - Decided22/489/HH
Extend a house, install an air source heat pump and erect a garage (resubmission of 21/211/HH)
Da'Roch, 36 Royal Oak Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1RF
Received 22 Dec 2022 - Decided22/490/PP
Erect 2 houses (one with detached garage) (resubmission of 21/511/PP)
Plots 50A & 50B, Breckan Brae, St Marys, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RR
Received 22 Dec 2022 - Decided22/492/PIP
Reinstate a house, siting of a replacement house (two for one) and create an access
Wasbister (Land Near), South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RJ
Received 23 Dec 2022 - Decided23/001/EB
Simplified notification to install an 11kV overhead line and upgrade a section of 11kV overhead line
Auchinleck (Land Near), Heathery Loan, St Ola/ Holm To Inganess, Orkney
Received 4 Jan 2023
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