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
138Recorded as pending
96%Approval rate · 10,078 approved or refused records
434Refused applications
9,644 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 24 Sept 1979 to 5 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 16 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Unknown25/338/PN
Install a 9 meter wooden pole
Craigiefield Bungalow (Land Near), Craigiefield Road, St Ola, Orkney KW15 1UJ
Received 1 Oct 2025 - Decided25/339/LB
Install replacement flat roof (amendment to 25/040/LB)
12 - 14 Queen Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1JE
Received 7 Oct 2025 - Decided25/341/CLEUD
Regularise the creation of a house (subdivision)
Quoynamoan Flat, Upper Twatt Road, Stenness, Orkney KW16 3HH
Received 10 Oct 2025 - Decided25/342/PP
Re-roof rear extension and reposition rainwater goods
Bruce's Stores, 55 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1DN
Received 10 Oct 2025 - Decided25/343/PP
Erect a self-catering pod
Hyval, Howaback Road, Sandwick, Orkney KW17 2JA
Received 13 Oct 2025 - Decided25/344/PP
Erect a house and create an access
Hillbanks, Littlequoy Road, Burray, Orkney KW17 2SX
Received 14 Oct 2025 - Decided25/345/PP
Erect residential accommodation with an air source heat pump (subdivision of curtilage) (amendment to 23/211/PP
Sprucol View (Land Near), Inganess Road, St Ola, Orkney
Received 15 Oct 2025 - Decided25/346/PP
Erect a house with a detached garage and polycarbonate polytunnel
Brandyha, Eday, Orkney, KW17 2AA
Received 16 Oct 2025 - Unknown25/041/NMV/01
Amend roof material
12 - 14 Queen Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1JE
Received 8 Oct 2025 - Decided25/347/TC
Fell a tree and prune a tree
43 Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3BS
Received 17 Oct 2025 - Decided25/348/PP
Erect a house (one for one) with integral garage and a hydroponic agricultural building
Downatown, Twatt, Orkney
Received 17 Oct 2025 - Decided25/349/HH
Install replacement rooflights, rainwater goods, and door, install a roof vent, and clad crowsteps with lead
12 Ness Road, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3DL
Received 17 Oct 2025 - Decided25/350/HH
Extend a house
Kyushu, Wardhill Road, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3HS
Received 20 Oct 2025 - Unknown22/076/NMV/01
Amend road details
Walliwall (Land Near) (K5), Phase 3, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 30 Sept 2025 - Unknown22/122/NMV/01
Change the position of road build-outs (affecting indicative driveway locations)
Walliwall (Land Near) (K5), Phase 3, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 30 Sept 2025 - Decided25/351/HH
Extend a house
Walkerhouse, The Palace, Birsay, Orkney KW17 2LY
Received 21 Oct 2025 - Decided25/352/LB
Install secondary glazing, ducting and wall and ventilation extractors
23 St Catherine's Place, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1HX
Received 23 Oct 2025 - Decided25/353/PP
Alter and extend office building (Block 3) including three storey extension and change of use, to create a mixed-use food and drink (Class 3), office (Class 4) and education (Class 10) facility, install six air source heat pumps, install external wall insulation and air source heat pumps (Charles Clouston Building and Robert Rendall Building), construct car parking, install electric vehicle charging infrastructure, associated hard and soft landscaping including construction of steps and external lift (resubmission of 23/458/PP)
The Robert Rendall Building, Orkney Research And Innovation Campus, Franklin Road, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3AN
Received 24 Oct 2025 - Decided25/354/LB
Install an aluminium sign
Drever And Heddle, 56A Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1HQ
Received 24 Oct 2025 - Decided25/355/AD
Install an aluminium sign
Drever And Heddle, 56A Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1HQ
Received 24 Oct 2025 - Decided25/357/OBL
Discharge a Section 75 planning obligation
Viewfield, Hunclett Road, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RZ
Received 16 Oct 2025 - Decided25/358/VR
Remove condition 02 (agricultural occupancy restriction) of planning permission 02/084/PPF
Viewfield, Hunclett Road, Holm, Orkney, KW17 2RZ
Received 16 Oct 2025 - Decided25/359/HH
Rebuild section of stone boundary wall and alter an access
Errival, 30 Mill Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1NL,
Received 27 Oct 2025 - Decided25/360/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump (replacement house, one for one), and alter redundant building as an outbuilding
Seatter, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3LN
Received 28 Oct 2025
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
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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.
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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