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9,614 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided05/275/PPF
Erect new house
Lynburn (Land Near) Burray
Received 28 Apr 2005 - Decided05/273/PPF
Erect workshop/store
H75/77 Grainshore Drive Hatston
Received 4 May 2005 - Withdrawn/Returned05/272
Re-roof and renovate a house
Ivydene Burray
Received 4 May 2005 - Decided05/271/PPF
Erect slatted court
Mucklehouse Swannay
Received 29 Apr 2005 - Decided05/270/PPF
Extend a house
Whinber Westray
Received 27 Apr 2005 - Decided05/269/PPF
Extend a house
Clairness Sandwick
Received 27 Apr 2005 - Decided05/268/PPR
Erect a house
Hurtiso Farm (Land Near) Holm
Received 27 Apr 2005 - Decided05/207/RPF
Provide temporary modular classrooms & alter car park
Sanday Junior Secondary School Sanday
Received 7 Apr 2005 - Decided05/206/PPO
Siting of a house
Mucklehouse Brims Longhope
Received 6 Apr 2005 - Decided05/204/AD1
Retention of a signboard
St Magnus Lane Kirkwall
Received 14 Apr 2005 - Decided05/203/PPF
Erect a wooden fence
22 Laverock Road Kirkwall KW15 1EE
Received 5 Apr 2005 - Decided05/202/AGR
Erect GP farm shed
Newbigging Harray
Received 5 Apr 2005 - Decided05/201/PPF
Erect a replacement house
Aglath Stenness
Received 4 Apr 2005 - Decided05/200/PPF
Extension to a house
Roadside St Ola KW15 1SF
Received 4 Apr 2005 - Decided05/199/PPF
Extend a house
Crearhowe Holm
Received 4 Apr 2005 - Decided05/198/PPF
Extension to a house
Benmar Heathery Loan St Ola KW15 1SY
Received 1 Apr 2005 - Decided05/197/PPF
Farm Steading Development, Phase 2, Cattle Accommodation
Netherton Holm
Received 1 Apr 2005 - Decided05/196/PPF
Erect two single storey detached dwellings
Kettletoft (Land Near) Sanday
Received 1 Apr 2005 - Decided05/195/PPF
Erection of a house
Hawin (Land Near) Northside Birsay
Received 31 Mar 2005 - Decided05/194/PPO
Siting of a house
Elwickbank (Land Near) Shapinsay
Received 31 Mar 2005 - Decided05/193/CLU
Establishment of a residential use classification at this site
Henges Harray
Received 31 Mar 2005 - Decided05/192/AGR
Form open type grass silo
Pole Burray
Received 30 Mar 2005 - Decided05/191/PPF
Erect a replacement house
Skeetquoy Grimsetter Tankerness
Received 5 Apr 2005 - Decided05/190/PPF
Extension to a house
Arwick Evie
Received 30 Mar 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