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9,614 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Withdrawn/Returned05/138/PPF
Construct infra-structure for 16 house sites
Midgarth Stromness
Received 11 Mar 2005 - Decided05/137/PPF
Extend and alter a house
Smiddy Cottage St Margaret's Hope
Received 14 Mar 2005 - Decided05/136/PPF
Erect a house and garage
Site 2 Petticoat Lane Orphir
Received 11 Mar 2005 - Decided05/135/PPF
Erection of a one for one house
Inkster Rendall
Received 11 Mar 2005 - Decided05/134/PPF
Extensions to a house
Brenda Evie KW17 2PJ
Received 11 Mar 2005 - Decided05/133/PPF
Erect store & changing facilities building, create car park
South Ronaldsay Golf Club St Margaret's Hope
Received 10 Mar 2005 - Decided05/132/PPF
Erection of 25kw wind turbine, 20m o/all ht, associated works
St Andrews Playing Fields St Andrews
Received 10 Mar 2005 - Withdrawn/Returned05/130/PPF
Erection of a house with integral garage
Banks Near Birsay
Received 7 Mar 2005 - Decided05/129/PPF
Paint frontage of building a coffee/cream colour
16 Albert Street Trenabies Kirkwall KW15 1HP
Received 14 Mar 2005 - Decided05/128/PPO
Siting of a house
West Shaird South Ronaldsay
Received 7 Mar 2005 - Decided05/127/PPF
Convert redundant coastguard building to a dwelling
Dingieshowe Deerness
Received 8 Mar 2005 - Decided05/126/PPF
Extend and alter a house,erect new garage and outbuilding
Vinkwin Evie KW17 2PE
Received 8 Mar 2005 - Withdrawn/Returned05/125/PPF
Erection of a holiday let
Feaval (Land Near) Birsay
Received 11 Mar 2005 - Decided05/124/RPF
Site temporary portacabins, form new binstore & new foul drain
Pickaquoy Camping & Caravan Site Kirkwall
Received 7 Mar 2005 - Decided05/122/PPF
Change of use from redundant byre to dwelling & extend
Biggings Rackwick Westray
Received 22 Mar 2005 - Decided05/121/PPF
Operation of a farmers' market in a public car park on certain
Broad Street Car Park Kirkwall
Received 3 Mar 2005 - Decided05/120/AD1
Display of temporary advertising banners for farmers' market
Broad Street Car Park & Other Locations In St Ola
Received 9 Mar 2005 - Decided05/118/PPF
Alter and extend cottage and erect stable block
Sandsend Shapinsay
Received 4 Mar 2005 - Decided05/116/PPF
Erect light industrial engineering workshop building
Grainshore Road Council Yard Hatston Industrial Estate Kirkwall
Received 3 Mar 2005 - Decided05/115/AGR
Erect agricultural grain store
Quanterness St Ola
Received 3 Mar 2005 - Decided05/113/PPF
Erection of a house
Berryhill Road St Ola
Received 6 Mar 2005 - Decided05/112/PPO
Siting of a house
Whitehall Farm Stronsay
Received 3 Mar 2005 - Decided05/111/PPF
Erect Gallery for Craft Sales c/w VMP parking
Nabban House Firth
Received 15 Mar 2005 - Decided05/110/PPF
Erect a House
Caldale Camp St Ola
Received 1 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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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