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9,614 approved · 434 refused · 561 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- Decided05/188/PPF
Erection of a house
Hall Road (Land Near) Finstown
Received 12 Mar 2005 - Decided05/187/PPF
Replace wooden garage doors with steel sliding doors
25a Bridge Street Kirkwall
Received 30 Mar 2005 - Decided05/186/PPF
Change of use school to office accommodation
Old Firth School Firth
Received 30 Mar 2005 - Withdrawn/Returned05/170/PPF
Erect a house
Site 1 Station Square St Mary's
Received 24 Mar 2005 - Decided05/168/LBC
Removal of stone slates and re-roofing with 'Saxon' flat
Pierowall Westray
Received 23 Mar 2005 - Decided05/167/LBC
Enlarge door opening in a listed building
Bewan Pier North Ronaldsay
Received 24 Mar 2005 - Decided05/165/PPF
Extend a house
Westshore Rendall KW17 2PB
Received 22 Mar 2005 - Decided05/164/AGR
Erect GP Shed (Nissen Hut)
Bigland Rousay
Received 21 Mar 2005 - Withdrawn/Returned05/161/PPF
Erection of a house
Plot 1 Corse Rousay
Received 18 Mar 2005 - Decided05/159/PPF
Re-roof commercial garage, extend, erect canopy & domestic garage
Lawrona Burray Village
Received 18 Mar 2005 - Decided05/158/PPF
Extend and alter a house
3 Bridge St Wynd Kirkwall
Received 18 Mar 2005 - Decided05/157/PPF
Extend a house
Netherfiold Rackwick Westray KW17 2DN
Received 21 Mar 2005 - Decided05/153/AGR
Erect a gp agricultural shed
Odinstone Shapinsay
Received 17 Mar 2005 - Decided05/152/PPO
Siting of a house
Sunnybank St Ola
Received 18 Mar 2005 - Decided05/151/PPF
Erect a garage
The Head Braebuster Hoy
Received 17 Mar 2005 - Decided05/149/PPF
Erect bedded cattle court and barley store
Rennibister Firth
Received 18 Mar 2005 - Decided05/146/PPF
Erect slatted court
Oldhall Stromness
Received 15 Mar 2005 - Decided05/145/PPF
Erect stable block
Sandsend Shapinsay
Received 15 Mar 2005 - Decided05/144/PPF
Erection of a house
Lonnie (Land Near) Sanday
Received 15 Mar 2005 - Decided05/143/PPF
Instal additional window
31 Queen Sonja Kloss Kirkwall
Received 14 Mar 2005 - Decided05/142/PPO
Siting of a house
York (Land Near) Knarston Dounby
Received 14 Mar 2005 - Decided05/141/PPO
Siting of a house
Noultland (Land) Sanday
Received 14 Mar 2005 - Withdrawn/Returned05/140/PPO
Regeneration of Houses
Galilee Sanday
Received 21 Mar 2005 - Decided05/139/PPO
Siting of a house
Land Of Breconquoy/East Langamay (Land Near), Sanday
Received 14 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