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9,644 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided26/019/HH
Extend a house (domestic annexe)
2 Scapa Crescent, Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1RL
Received 27 Jan 2026 - Decided26/021/HH
Extend a house
Toomal, Aikerskaill Road, Deerness, Orkney KW17 2QJ
Received 29 Jan 2026 - Decided26/023/PP
Erect a house with an integral garage and an air source heat pump (replacement house, one for one), reinstate redundant former house as an outbuilding, and create an access
Upper Mossetter, Dounby, Orkney
Received 2 Feb 2026 - Withdrawn/Returned26/024/PP
Erect an agricultural shed
Kirkhouse 1, South Ronaldsay, Orkney KW17 2RH
Received 2 Feb 2026 - Awaiting decision26/026/PIP
Siting of four houses (former house one for one; redundant building one for one; redundant building two for one) and upgrade existing access
Burnside, Yinstay Road, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney KW17 2QS
Received 2 Feb 2026 - Decided26/027/PP
Erect a toilet block, and siting of a seasonal hot food takeaway van (amendment to 25/122/PP)
Skara Brae Visitors Centre, Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3LR
Received 3 Feb 2026 - Decided26/028/PP
Change of use of land to domestic and extend a house
Craigview, Tankerness Hall Road, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney, KW17 2QR
Received 4 Feb 2026 - Unknown26/029/APN
Erect a GP shed
Perth, Ness Road, Westray, Orkney KW17 2DE
Received 4 Feb 2026 - Decided26/030/PP
Repaint shop front and door
Flooers, 33 Broad Street, Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1DH
Received 5 Feb 2026 - Decided26/031/PP
Change of use of land to domestic and extend a house including integral garage and install an air source heat pump
Ottersgill, Ness Road, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3HA
Received 6 Feb 2026 - Decided26/032/HH
Install a dormer window
Ingabreck, 8 Bellevue Park, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1XL
Received 6 Feb 2026 - Decided26/033/PP
Temporary change of use of shed from agriculture to storage (Class 6) (two years)
Mounthoolie, Eday, Orkney KW17 2AB
Received 6 Feb 2026 - Decided26/035/PP
Change of use of land to domestic and extend a house
1 Orquil Cottage, Orquil Road, St Ola, Orkney KW15 1SA
Received 10 Feb 2026 - Decided26/036/PN
Install a 2.5 metre tower extension, nine antennas, 15 RFFs, and ancillary development
Corse Farm (Land Near), Old Scapa Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1RZ
Received 2 Feb 2026 - Decided26/037/LB
Install replacement windows, doors, and rainwater goods and re-harl
88 - 90 Dundas Street, Stromness Orkney KW16 3DA
Received 10 Feb 2026 - Decided26/038/PP
Convert an annexe to a house (subdivision of curtilage)
Ha'Well, Shore Road, St Andrews Orkney KW17 2QT
Received 11 Feb 2026 - Withdrawn/Returned26/039/PP
Erect a house, alter an access and create an access
Veensgarth (Land Near), Cromwell Road, Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1LN
Received 11 Feb 2026 - Unknown25/176/NMV/02
Add solar panels to west elevation
30 Coplands Drive (Land Near), Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BN
Received 4 Feb 2026 - Awaiting decision26/040/PP
Erect four self-catering pods with communal foul drainage system, bicycle storage and associated landscaping, and upgrade an access
Clickimin (Land Near), Rue Road, Sanday Orkney KW17 2AZ
Received 12 Feb 2026 - Decided26/041/HH
Install three replacement windows, and install double glazing in nine existing window frames
25 Alfred Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3DF
Received 12 Feb 2026 - Decided26/042/PP
Install a temporary 5G mast (maximum height 17.75 metres) (until May 2026) (amendment to 25/240/PP, to extend existing temporary period)
Coplands Drive, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3BN
Received 12 Feb 2026 - Decided26/043/PP
Change of use of land from agriculture to domestic, extend a house, and erect an agricultural building (part retrospective)
Braeside, Orphir Orkney KW17 2RB
Received 13 Feb 2026 - Decided26/045/HH
Install an air source heat pump (retrospective)
4 Graham Place, Stromness Orkney KW16 3BY
Received 16 Feb 2026 - Decided26/046/LB
Re-roof building
Whome, Flotta, Orkney KW16 3NP
Received 11 Feb 2026
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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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