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9,644 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided26/047/PP
Change of use of former school to art studio, extend, re-roof, install rooflights, clad walls, alter window and door openings, alter outbuilding, create car parking and decking, and install foul drainage system and an air source heat pump
School House (Land Near), Kirbister Road, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3HU
Received 16 Feb 2026 - Decided26/048/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and integral garage and detached garage (house for retiring farmer) (resubmission of 25/428/AMC)
Upper Ellibister (Land Near), Rendall, Orkney
Received 19 Feb 2026 - Decided26/049/PP
Erect a veterinary surgery, construct staff and visitor parking with a surface water drainage system, install four air source heat pumps, create two accesses, and associated landscaping
Land Between Hatston Brae And Grainbank Road, Kirkwall, Orkney
Received 20 Feb 2026 - Decided26/050/CLOPUD
Extend a house
Aria, 8 Seafield, Finstown, Firth, Orkney KW17 2EW
Received 20 Feb 2026 - Decided26/051/PIP
Siting of a house and create an access (subdivision of curtilage)
Bonnie Brae, Tankerness Hall Road, Tankerness, St Andrews, Orkney KW17 2QS
Received 23 Feb 2026 - Decided26/052/LB
Install 14 solar panels
63 John Street, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3AD
Received 23 Feb 2026 - Unknown24/183/NMV/01
Reduce the size of an en-suite extension by moving two walls
Muckle Jocks, Herston Road, Herston, South Ronaldsay, Orkney KW17 2RH
Received 19 Feb 2026 - Withdrawn/Returned26/053/PP
Erect a house with an air source heat pump and create an access
Caernarfon (Land Near), Aikerskaill Road, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QJ
Received 19 Feb 2026 - Decided26/054/HH
Extend a house
Cedar Villa, Upper Crantit Road, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1RW
Received 24 Feb 2026 - Decided26/055/PP
Temporary change of use from quarry to industrial (Class 5) to construct fish farm pens (two years)
Loth Quarry, Sanday, Orkney
Received 19 Feb 2026 - Decided26/056/PP
Change of use of paved area to outdoor seating/dining area
Albert Hotel, Junction Road, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1LB
Received 27 Feb 2026 - Unknown26/057/APN
Erect a GP shed
Holland, Holland Road, Firth, Orkney KW17 2EU
Received 2 Mar 2026 - Unknown26/058/PN
Install 1 x 9 metre wooden pole
Lyness, Orkney, KW16 3PH
Received 23 Feb 2026 - Decided26/059/PP
Erect a slatted byre
South Breck, Burness Road, Firth, Orkney KW17 2ET
Received 3 Mar 2026 - Unknown26/061/APN
Erect a GP shed
Kirbuster, Hoy Orkney KW16 3PQ
Received 3 Mar 2026 - Decided26/062/PP
Demolish former halls of residence and landscape site
Old Papdale Halls Of Residence, Berstane Road, Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1NA
Received 5 Mar 2026 - Decided26/063/PP
Remove stone slates and re-roof with Welsh slate
Anchorage, Front Road, St Margarets Hope, South Ronaldsay, Orkney KW17 2SL
Received 5 Mar 2026 - Decided26/064/LB
Remove stone slates and re-roof with Welsh slate
Anchorage, Front Road, St Margarets Hope, South Ronaldsay Orkney KW17 2SL
Received 5 Mar 2026 - Decided26/065/PP
Paint and lime plaster walls, install replacement windows and doors, metal rainwater goods, soil/vent stacks, and CCTV (part retrospective)
Anchor Building, Bridge Street, Kirkwall KW15 1HR
Received 9 Mar 2026 - Withdrawn/Returned26/066/MAR
Install a storage raft (for fish health equipment)
Westerbister, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Received 4 Mar 2026 - Unknown25/426/NMV/01
Change cladding to stone facing
Queena, Upper Twatt Road, Stenness, Orkney, KW16 3HH
Received 10 Mar 2026 - Decided26/068/PP
Change of use from a flat to a self-catering unit (retrospective)
66B Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1DN
Received 5 Mar 2026 - Awaiting decision26/069/PP
Reinstate a house (formerly two houses)
Brough Cottage, Sanday, Orkney KW17 2AY
Received 10 Mar 2026 - Decided26/071/HH
Extend a house
Westfield, Stenness Village, Stenness Orkney KW16 3JY
Received 11 Mar 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
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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