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 · 10,076 approved or refused records
434Refused applications
9,642 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 24 Sept 1979 to 5 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 17 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Awaiting decision26/290/PP
Upgrade junction and track (125m)
Access Track (Hillside Road) Birsay Moors Nature Reserve,
Received 24 Sept 2026 - Awaiting decision26/301/VR
Removal of condition 2. See letter attached for reasoning.
Scapa Cottages (Land Near), St Ola
Received 5 Oct 2026 - Awaiting decision25/269/NMV/01
Additional items proposed to flat roof to rear. Omission of pop-out window to side elevation
Sheila Fleet, 50 Albert Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1HQ
Received 24 Sept 2026 - Decided99/586/PPO
Siting of a new Fire Station
Thistledene (near) Longhope Hoy
Received 22 Dec 1999 - Decided99/585/PPO
Extension to an Existing Fire Station
Samson's Lane (near) Stronsay
Received 22 Dec 1999 - Decided99/584/PPO
Siting of an Extension to a Fire Station
Firestation Pierowall Westray
Received 22 Dec 1999 - Decided99/583/PPF
Alterations and Extensions to a House
Lower Grindally Birsay
Received 22 Dec 1999 - Decided99/582/RPF
Extension to a School
Kirkwall Grammar School Kirkwall
Received 22 Dec 1999 - Decided99/581/PPF
Erection of a Block of Two Industrial Units
Sites 8 & 10 Grainshore Drive Hatston Industrial Estate Kirkwall
Received 21 Dec 1999 - Decided99/579/LBC
Erection of a Satellite Dish
8 School Place Kirkwall
Received 17 Dec 1999 - Decided99/578/PPF
Erection of Pitched Roofs Over Existing Flat Roofs
Great Western Road Kirkwall
Received 16 Dec 1999 - Decided99/577/PPF
Provision of a Parking Area and New Drainage Works
Roo's Loch Sanday
Received 16 Dec 1999 - Decided99/576/PPF
Conversion of office space into two residential flats
25 Broad Street Kirkwall
Received 16 Dec 1999 - Decided99/573/RPF
Alterations & extension to a church to form a church sanctuary,
St Ann's Church Papa Westray
Received 13 Dec 1999 - Decided99/572/PPF
Alterations and Extensions
Balfour Hospital New Scapa Road Kirkwall
Received 13 Dec 1999 - Decided99/571/PPF
Erection of a House
Plot 22 Lynn Park Kirkwall
Received 13 Dec 1999 - Decided99/570/PPF
Erection of En-Suite
Girnigoe Shapinsay
Received 23 Dec 1999 - Decided99/568/PPF
Erection of a New Public Toilet and a New Lay-by
nr West Mainland Day Care Centre Stenness
Received 9 Dec 1999 - Decided99/566/LBC
Creation of a Native Tree Restoration Area
The Orkney Museum Tankerness House Broad Street Kirkwall
Received 6 Dec 1999 - Decided99/564/PPF
Alterations and extensions to a motel
Sands Motel Burray Village Burray
Received 6 Dec 1999 - Decided99/563/PPF
Alterations to a House
18 Reid Crescent Kirkwall
Received 3 Dec 1999 - Decided99/562/AD1
Erection of an externally illuminated fascia sign
29 Bridge Street Kirkwall
Received 3 Dec 1999 - Decided99/561/PPF
Redevelopment of Shop and Restaurant
Woodwick Stores Evie
Received 2 Dec 1999 - Decided99/560/AD1
Erection of 2 non-illuminated projecting signs
1 Broad Street/1 Castle Street Kirkwall
Received 2 Dec 1999
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