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9,643 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided23/225/CLOPUD
Certificate of lawfulness to extend a house
Rossignol, Old Finstown Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1TW
Received 19 Jun 2023 - Unknown22/117/NMV/02
Install solar panels
Kraften, Outertown, Stromness, Orkney
Received 16 Jun 2023 - Decided23/228/PP
Change of use of agricultural building to wine storage, distribution and tasting business
Berstane Farmhouse, Berstane Lodge Road, St Ola, Orkney, KW15 1SZ
Received 21 Jun 2023 - Decided23/229/PP
Change of use from domestic (Class 9) to studio/workshop (Class 1A)
Gillietrang, Burray, Orkney, KW17 2SY
Received 21 Jun 2023 - Decided23/230/PP
Change of use from a flat to a self-catering unit
24 Garden Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1JA
Received 22 Jun 2023 - Decided23/231/HH
Extend a house
Straits, Broughton Road, Westray, Orkney, KW17 2DA
Received 22 Jun 2023 - Decided23/232/AMC
Erect a salt barn (following permission in principle 22/393/PIP)
Cursiter Quarry, Old Finstown Road, Firth, Orkney, KW15 1TT
Received 22 Jun 2023 - Unknown22/129/NMV/01
Altered windows on South East gable
Limbo, Nicolson Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1BD
Received 16 Jun 2023 - Decided23/233/LB
Remove a cast iron handrail
Sule Skerry Lighthouse, Orkney
Received 23 Jun 2023 - Withdrawn/Returned23/234/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and create an access
Ruahine (Land Near), Hillside Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3HR
Received 23 Jun 2023 - Withdrawn/Returned23/235/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and create an access
Burnbank (Land Near), Hillside Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3HR
Received 23 Jun 2023 - Decided23/236/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and create an access
Burnbank (Land Near), Hillside Road, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3HR
Received 23 Jun 2023 - Decided23/237/AMC
Erect a house with integral garage and air source heat pump and create an access (following permission in principle 21/436/PIP)
Drunton (Land Near), Nistaben Road, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2LE
Received 26 Jun 2023 - Decided23/238/PP
Change of use from a flat to a self-catering unit (retrospective)
Flat 3, The Store, Junction Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AR
Received 27 Jun 2023 - Decided23/239/PP
Change of use from a flat to a self-catering unit (retrospective)
Flat 4, The Store, Junction Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AR
Received 27 Jun 2023 - Decided23/241/PP
Erect an agricultural shed, alter an access and create a hardstanding (part retrospective)
Burnside (Land Near), Tankerness, Orkney
Received 29 Jun 2023 - Decided23/242/CLEUD
Regularise the alteration of a house (re-roofing and installation of a solar array)
Upper Midhouse, Evie, Orkney, KW17 2NN
Received 29 Jun 2023 - Decided23/243/PP
Install two containers, transformer and six water tanks
Caldale Substation, Westside Road, Eday, Orkney,
Received 30 Jun 2023 - Decided23/244/PP
Erect a house with integral garage and install air source heat pump and solar panels (part amendment to 18/288/PP)
Plot 1, Dalvenna, Scapa Brae, St Ola.
Received 3 Jul 2023 - Unknown23/245/APN
Erect a GP shed
Furrowend, Eday, Orkney, KW17 2AB
Received 3 Jul 2023 - Decided23/246/PP
Create an access (retrospective)
Furrowend, Eday, Orkney, KW17 2AB
Received 3 Jul 2023 - Decided23/247/PP
Change of use from an office (Class I A) to three self-catering units
21 Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HR
Received 4 Jul 2023 - Withdrawn/Returned23/248/PP
Erect a seawall coastal defence and reclaim land (part retrospective)
Atlantis Lodges, Firth, Orkney, KW17 2EH
Received 4 Jul 2023 - Awaiting decision23/249/PP
Change of use of domestic outbuilding to studio (Class 4), cafe/restaurant (Class 3) and amenity facilities, and change of use of land to motorhome pitches (part retrospective)
Whistlebrae (Land Near), Rue Road, Sanday, Orkney, KW17 2AZ
Received 5 Jul 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
All planning guides
Understanding planning · 13 min read
Planning permission drawings: how to read plans
Read planning drawings, floor plans, elevations and sections. Use labelled diagrams, a drawing comparison table and revision checks to understand a proposal.
UK researchPublished Updated
Property research · 13 min read
Planning approval rates: how to read council statistics
Understand planning approval rates with an interactive calculator, worked examples and comparison table. Check sample sizes, outcomes and coverage before comparing.
UK researchPublished Updated
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