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 · 10,075 approved or refused records
434Refused applications
9,641 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided92/074/PPF
Alterations to a house
Curcabreck Rendall
Received 13 Feb 1992 - Decided92/008/PPF
Conversion to form two flats
2 Bridge Street Kirkwall
Received 8 Jan 1992 - Decided92/005/PPF
Erection of house with garage
Sunnybrae Road St Ola
Received 7 Mar 1992 - Decided91/156/PPF
Proposed erection of a garage
Flotta Oil Terminal Flotta ORKNEY
Received 28 Mar 1991 - Decided91/141/PPF
Proposed siting of a caravan
Braeside Stenness ORKNEY
Received 25 Mar 1991 - Decided91/138/PPF
Proposed Alterations to a House and Conversion of a Store to a
2-4 Graham Place Stromness ORKNEY
Received 22 Mar 1991 - Decided91/136/PPF
Alterations to a House
16 St Catherine's Place Kirkwall
Received 19 Mar 1991 - Decided91/130/PPF
Proposed erection of a pollution store and training centre
Flotta Oil Terminal Flotta ORKNEY
Received 22 Mar 1991 - Decided91/120/PPF
Proposed erection of a house (one for one replacement)
Damside Eday ORKNEY
Received 19 Mar 1991 - Decided91/113/PPO
Proposed sites and associated works for 31 private housing
Weyland Park Kirkwall
Received 14 Mar 1991 - Decided91/200/PPF
Proposed erection of two temporary buildings
Oil Terminal Flotta ORKNEY
Received 26 Apr 1991 - Decided91/011/PPF
Proposed conversion of building to form dwellinghouse
Lochside Burray ORKNEY
Received 15 Jan 1991 - Decided90/542/PPF
Proposed erection of a conservatory
Richmond Holm ORKNEY
Received 20 Dec 1990 - Decided90/324/PPF
Proposed alterations to form two flats
1 Laing Street Kirkwall
Received 4 Jul 1990 - Decided90/305/PPF
Proposed erection of a house and garage
Lindisfarne Stromness ORKNEY
Received 19 Jun 1990 - Decided90/289/PPF
Proposed alteration & extension to a building to form guest house
A.I. Building Holm Road Kirkwall
Received 11 Jun 1990 - Decided90/342/PPF
Extension to house
Easkbank Bridge of Waithe Stenness ORKNEY
Received 19 Jul 1990 - Decided93/243/PPF
Erection of six houses and associated works
Near Trumland Pier Rousay
Received 7 Jun 1993 - Decided93/137/RPF
Erection of a fish processing factory
Site 3c/3d Garson Industrial Estate Stromness
Received 2 Apr 1993 - Decided93/107/PPO
sites for six houses and associated works
Pier Road Rousay
Received 15 Mar 1993 - Decided93/096/RPF
Construction of a pitched roof over an existing flat roof
Teacher's House Balfour Village Shapinsay
Received 4 Mar 1993 - Decided93/057/PPF
Proposed erection of chalet (one for one replacement)
Daisy Cottage Pierowall Westray
Received 18 Feb 1993 - Decided93/036/PPF
Alterations and sub-division to form two flats
8 Clay Loan Broadsands Orkney
Received 28 Jan 1993 - Decided92/552/PPF
Construction of road, pier and food store
Myre Rousay ORKNEY
Received 10 Nov 1992
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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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