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9,614 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided05/710/PPF
Extend a house
Nurses House Finstown KW17 2EQ
Received 25 Nov 2005 - Decided05/709/PPF
Extend a house
Nap Burray
Received 25 Nov 2005 - Decided05/708/PPF
Convert redundant farm buildings into 3 residential units
Trumland Farm Rousay
Received 22 Nov 2005 - Decided05/707/PPF
Erect a replacement house
Cobrance (Land Near) Tankerness
Received 22 Nov 2005 - Decided05/706/PPF
Alter and extend a house
Bare Brecks Shapinsay KW17 2EA
Received 22 Nov 2005 - Decided05/705/PPO
Siting of a Guest House
Wardhill Road Stromness
Received 17 Nov 2005 - Decided05/704/PPF
Erect a house with garage
Delday (Land Near) Geo Road Deerness
Received 22 Nov 2005 - Decided05/703/PPO
Siting of 2 houses
Willowbank (Land Near) St Margaret's Hope
Received 23 Nov 2005 - Withdrawn/Returned05/702/PPF
Erect a house
Pool's Area Hackness Longhope
Received 24 Nov 2005 - Decided05/701/PPF
Erect agricultural store
Tormiston Stenness
Received 23 Nov 2005 - Decided05/700/PPF
Erect a house
2 Copland's Road Stromness KW16 3BW
Received 22 Nov 2005 - Decided05/699/PPF
Erect a cold store
Westray Processors' Factory Pierowall Westray
Received 22 Nov 2005 - Decided05/698/LBC
Install a satellite television dish
4 King Street Kirkwall
Received 22 Nov 2005 - Decided05/697/LBC
Convert utility store to bed-sit and re-roof store
Quildon Back Road Stromness
Received 22 Nov 2005 - Decided05/696/PPF
Convert utility store to bed-sit and re-roof shed
Quildon Back Road Stromness
Received 22 Nov 2005 - Decided05/695/PPF
Retention of a commercial greenhouse
Newbigging Longhope
Received 21 Nov 2005 - Decided05/694/PPF
Extend a house
Vinquin Evie
Received 21 Nov 2005 - Withdrawn/Returned05/693/EUC
Establish a use as a garage & haulage yard
Quoyloo Sandwick
Received 17 Nov 2005 - Decided05/692/PPF
Erect a cold store
Cleaton House Westray
Received 18 Nov 2005 - Decided05/691/PPF
Extend a house
Flaws Cottage East Holm KW17 2SD
Received 17 Nov 2005 - Decided05/689/PPF
Erect a replacement house
Bendigo Grimness South Ronaldsay
Received 17 Nov 2005 - Decided05/688/PPF
Erect a house
Floura (Land Near) Cross Sanday
Received 15 Nov 2005 - Decided05/687/PPF
Extend a workshop
Scott's Road Hatston Industrial Estate Kirkwall
Received 15 Nov 2005 - Decided05/685/PPF
Alter and renovate a house
Westernhorn Graemsay KW16 3NG
Received 15 Nov 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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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