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9,643 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided22/258/PP
Erect an agricultural building
Verecroft (Land Near), Linklater Road, Sandwick, Orkney, KW17 2JH
Received 14 Jul 2022 - Decided22/259/PP
Convert part of upper floor of a store to a flat and install two air source heat pumps
27 North End Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3AG
Received 14 Jul 2022 - Withdrawn/Returned22/260/PP
Convert a domestic outbuilding to a self-catering unit and install an air source heat pump
Ivanhoe, Bigswell Road, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3LA
Received 14 Jul 2022 - Decided22/262/MARCON
Marine licence variation under the above Act for Pipeline Protection works at a location below the level of Mean High Water Springs
Grimness, South Ronaldsay, Orkney
Received 15 Jul 2022 - Unknown22/263/APN
Erect a GP shed
Campston Cottage (Land Near), Toab, Orkney, KW17 2QG
Received 20 Jul 2022 - Decided22/264/PP
Convert former shop and house to four flats, extend including a balcony to the rear and install replacement windows, doors, rooflights and ridge tiles
5-7 King Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1JF
Received 20 Jul 2022 - Decided22/265/HH
Erect decking
Kjarstad, 30 Reid Crescent, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1UD
Received 21 Jul 2022 - Decided22/266/HH
Erect a domestic garage
Lyrowall, Ourigar Road, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2TW
Received 21 Jul 2022 - Unknown22/269/PN
Install three antennas and two dishes on existing telecommunications tower
Wards Hill, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, KW17 2RH
Received 21 Jul 2022 - Decided22/270/HH
Erect a domestic outbuilding
Sunnybank, Howe Road, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2JR
Received 25 Jul 2022 - Decided22/271/HH
Install replacement windows (retrospective)
15 Graham Place, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BY
Received 25 Jul 2022 - Decided22/272/LB
Install replacement windows (retrospective)
15 Graham Place, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BY
Received 25 Jul 2022 - Withdrawn/Returned22/273/PP
Change of use of a wing of care home to staff accommodation (Class 8) and construct footpaths
Hamnavoe House, Coplands Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BW
Received 26 Jul 2022 - Decided22/274/PP
Erect a replacement house (one for one) with an air source heat pump and upgrade an access
Skerryvoe (Land Near), Evie, Orkney, KW17 2NJ
Received 28 Jul 2022 - Decided22/275/HH
Extend a house
London Cottage, North Bigging Road, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2HZ
Received 28 Jul 2022 - Decided22/277/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump (amendment to 22/019/PP)
Nethri Geo (Land Near), Orphir Village, Orphir, KW17 2RB
Received 28 Jul 2022 - Unknown21/139/NMV/01
Change of cladding from Cedral to Larch cladding left to weather
6 Reid Crescent, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1UD
Received 28 Jul 2022 - Decided22/278/HH
Extend a house and install an air source heat pump
Downies, Sandside Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QJ
Received 1 Aug 2022 - Decided22/279/AMC
Erect a house, erect two polytunnels and reinstate redundant sheds (following permission in principle 20/075/PIP)
West Green (Land Near), Howe Road, Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2ND
Received 1 Aug 2022 - Decided22/280/PP
Demolish two redundant houses and erect two houses with air source heat pumps
East & West Blett, Eday, Orkney
Received 1 Aug 2022 - Withdrawn/Returned22/281/PP
Erect a replacement house (one for one)
Towerhill (Land Near), Inganess Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1SR
Received 3 Aug 2022 - Decided22/282/TC
Fell a sycamore and prune a branch
49 Dundas Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3DA
Received 3 Aug 2022 - Decided22/283/PP
Extend a retail/storage building, relocate car parking and install an air source heat pump and PV panels
Orkney Factors, Crowness Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1RG
Received 3 Aug 2022 - Withdrawn/Returned22/287/PP
Erect a replacement house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump (one for one) and alter an access
Savedale Cottage (Land Near), Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3JE
Received 4 Aug 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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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