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 · 10,048 approved or refused records
434Refused applications
9,614 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 24 Sept 1979 to 5 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 18 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided05/684/PPF
Erection of 3 self-contained holiday lets
Scorralee Orphir
Received 15 Nov 2005 - Decided05/683/PPF
Install a micro wind turbine on the roof of the school
Sanday School Sanday
Received 15 Nov 2005 - Decided05/682/PPF
Extend a house
Ocean View Braehead Westray KW17 2DB
Received 15 Nov 2005 - Decided05/681/PPF
Erect new house with lettable flat
Lynnfield Hotel (Land Near) Kirkwall
Received 11 Nov 2005 - Withdrawn/Returned05/680/PPO
Convert detached storeroom to staff accommodation
Lynnfield Hotel Kirkwall
Received 11 Nov 2005 - Decided05/679/PPR
Erect a house
West Shaird (Land Near) South Ronaldsay
Received 11 Nov 2005 - Withdrawn/Returned05/678/PPF
Siting of caravan on building site for 18 months
Glenisla (Land Near) Wellington Street Kirkwall
Received 16 Nov 2005 - Decided05/677/PPF
Erection of 6 chalet bungalows for tourist accommodation
Lynnfield Hotel Kirkwall
Received 16 Nov 2005 - Withdrawn/Returned05/676/PPF
Create an access road
Na Verron (Land Near) Quoyloo
Received 10 Nov 2005 - Withdrawn/Returned05/675/PPF
Erect a house
8 Coplands Drive Stromness KW16 3BN
Received 10 Nov 2005 - Decided05/674/PPF
Alter and extend a house
The Head Grimness South Ronaldsay
Received 24 Oct 2005 - Decided05/673/PPF
Erect a pair of semi-detached houses and workshops
Garth Farm Rendall
Received 14 Nov 2005 - Decided05/671/PPO
Siting of a furniture store and yard
Industrial Estate (Land Near) St Margaret's Hope
Received 9 Nov 2005 - Decided05/670/PPF
Extend and alter a house
The Shieling Mount Drive Kirkwall KW15 1LL
Received 9 Nov 2005 - Decided05/669/PPO
Siting of a house
Baillie's Land Sanday
Received 8 Nov 2005 - Decided05/667/PPF
Extension to a house
Glenavon Inganess Road Kirkwall KW15 1SP
Received 1 Nov 2005 - Decided05/666/PPF
Alterations to a house
Graemston South Ronaldsay KW17 2RN
Received 2 Nov 2005 - Decided05/660/PPF
Erect a house with integral garage
10 Ingavoe Drive Kirkwall
Received 4 Nov 2005 - Decided05/658/AGR
Extend GP shed and byre
Snelsetter Longhope
Received 2 Nov 2005 - Decided05/657/AGR
Erect GP shed
Tifter Westray
Received 2 Nov 2005 - Decided05/655/PPF
Extend a house
29 Quoybanks Crescent Kirkwall
Received 1 Nov 2005 - Decided05/654/PPF
Extend house into former barn & erect new extension
Cribbaquoy Harray KW17 2LQ
Received 1 Nov 2005 - Decided05/652/PPF
Extend a house and erect new garage
Mill Cottage Voy
Received 31 Oct 2005 - Decided05/651/PPO
Siting of a house
Plot 2 Graveshill Burness Sanday
Received 31 Oct 2005
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