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
Explore collected planning applications and decisions for Shetland Islands. Search an address, application reference or proposal to find a record.
8,128 approved · 137 refused · 286 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 29 Nov 2002 to 12 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 15 Oct 2026. Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.
Contact details were found on council pages. Check the source for opening hours and which enquiries the service handles.
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.
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.
Papa Stour Ferry Waiting Shelter Papa Stour Harbour Papa Stour Shetland
Received 25 Aug 2026Plot (East Of Hillgrind) Firth Mossbank Shetland
Received 27 Aug 2026Fjord Upper Strand Gott Tingwall Shetland ZE2 9SG
Received 28 Aug 2026Lodge & Bird Observatory Fair Isle Shetland ZE2 9JU
Received 31 Aug 2026Buildbase Freefield Road Lerwick Shetland ZE1 0NH
Received 28 Aug 20268 Fogralea Lerwick Shetland ZE1 0SE
Received 31 Aug 202623 Gressy Loan Lerwick Shetland ZE1 0YB
Received 31 Aug 20268 South Lochside Lerwick Shetland ZE1 0RA
Received 31 Aug 2026Rose Cottage, Baltasound, Unst. Shetland.
Received 3 Sept 2026Thule Bar Esplanade Lerwick Shetland ZE1 0LL
Received 3 Sept 2026Land West Of Culsetter Park, Brae, Shetland
Received 4 Sept 2026Old Kirk Strom Whiteness Shetland ZE2 9GJ
Received 7 Sept 2026Brae High School Brae Shetland ZE2 9QJ
Received 8 Sept 2026Mountalt House Hangcliff Lane Lerwick Shetland
Received 14 Sept 2026Lee Of Burrafirth, Aith Voe
Received 15 Sept 2026600M West Of The Western Extent Of Lerwick BNG HU 44730 42646
Received 10 Sept 2026Site Vatster Yell Shetland ZE2 9BU
Received 8 Sept 2026Vita Huset Muckle Roe Shetland ZE2 9QW
Received 15 Sept 202641 Kantersted Road Lerwick Shetland ZE1 0RJ
Received 16 Sept 2026Site Adjacent To Gott Farm Gott Tingwall Shetland ZE2 9SE
Received 17 Sept 2026Plot Lochend Croft Isbister Whalsay Shetland ZE2 9AJ
Received 18 Sept 20264B Reform Lane Lerwick Shetland ZE1 0DQ
Received 22 Sept 20269 Annsbrae Place Lerwick ZE1 0BW
Received 21 Sept 2026Kjeldaberry Skellister South Nesting Shetland ZE2 9PP
Received 24 Sept 2026Records are ordered by application ID, not submission date. Use search to find a particular address or proposal.
View all applicationsStart 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 applications
Understanding planning · 13 min read
Understand planning application documents, officer reports and decision notices. Use a reading checklist, document table and worked example to inspect a case.

Understanding planning · 13 min read
Read planning drawings, floor plans, elevations and sections. Use labelled diagrams, a drawing comparison table and revision checks to understand a proposal.

Property research · 13 min read
Understand planning approval rates with an interactive calculator, worked examples and comparison table. Check sample sizes, outcomes and coverage before comparing.
These figures describe applications collected by PlanningTrack for Shetland 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