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
West Lothian planning applications
PlanningTrack collects planning applications and decisions from the public planning register of West Lothian. Search an address, application reference or proposal. Official West Lothian website
Collected application statistics
Collected records · All available dates30,029Searchable applications
270Recorded as pending
91%Approval rate · 27,299 approved or refused records
2,403Refused applications
24,896 approved · 2,403 refused · 1,645 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 25 Oct 1993 to 23 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 30 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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 & Building StandardsLocal plan Local Development Plan (LDP 1)Pre-application advice Pre-Application EnquiryConservation areas Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Scheduled Monuments
Council contacts
- Planning enquiriescustomer.service@westlothian.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 areas10 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
- DecidedLIVE/0695/FUL/03
Erection of a 390sqm pavilion and erection of 4No. Floodlighting columns
10/1 East Main Street, Whitburn
Received 12 May 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0825/H/00
Extension to farmhouse
Swineabbey Farm -, East Whitburn
Received 23 Aug 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0900/P/00
Renewal of Outline Planning Permission 876/P/97 for the erection of a hotel
- Blackness Road, Linlithgow
Received 13 Sept 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0693/FUL/99
Erection of a house
Plot 3 Birch Grove, Croftfoot Farm, Fauldhouse
Received 31 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0214/LBC/00
Paint West Port and Philip Avenue elevations
26 West Port, Linlithgow
Received 3 Mar 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0059/P/00
Outline Planning Permission for a flatted residential development
- Hunter Road, Kirkton, Livingston
Received 26 Jan 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0832/FUL/99
Erection of 3 light industrial/business units
- Whitehill Industrial Estate, Bathgate
Received 26 Oct 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0813/FUL/99
Erection of a 304 seat spectator stand
- Braehead Road, Prestonfield, Linlithgow
Received 19 Oct 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0979/FUL/98
Extension of existing 9 hole golf course to an 18 hole course
- Drumshoreland Road, Pumpherston
Received 10 Dec 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0495/FUL/98
Erection of 83 houses and formation of roads and associated works (including road closure)
- Chapelton Dr/Chapelton GDNS, Polbeth
Received 15 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0491/H/98
Extension to house
Bankhead, -, Niddry, Winchburgh
Received 12 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0414/FUL/99
Erection of an entrance porch and alterations to function suite
Kaim Park Hotel, Edinburgh Road, Bathgate
Received 26 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0330/FUL/98
Substitution of house type
Plot 16 Heatherwood, Seafield
Received 14 Apr 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0182/A/98
Erection of a bus shelter with two advertising panels
- East Main Street, (Westbound) Nr Hunter Gardens, Broxburn
Received 11 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0181/A/98
Erection of a bus shelter with two advertising panels
A89 At Glenmorangie, (Eastbound), Broxburn
Received 11 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0172/FUL/98
Erection of a 15 metre high telecommunications mast, equipment cabin and associated apparatus
- Philpstoun Oilworks, Hopetoun Estate, Philpstoun
Received 11 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0580/FUL/03
Erection of 6 houses, conversion of shop units to form 5 flats and replacement of flat roof with pitched roof
56-66 Charles Crescent, Bathgate
Received 8 May 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0451/H/03
Extension to dormer and installation of velux windows
217 South Village, Pumpherston
Received 23 Apr 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0367/FUL/03
Erection of 80 flats and 1516 sqm retail unit with associated landscaping, parking and infrastructure
Newyearfield Ladywell West Road, Ladywell, Livingston
Received 2 Apr 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0541/FUL/03
Change of use of storage and distribution building and yard (class 6) to workshop, storage, offices and yard (class 5) and industrial sites (class 5)
10 Blackburn Road, Bathgate
Received 7 May 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0277/FUL/03
Erection of a house with garage
Plot 22 Willow Park (PH3), Fauldhouse
Received 7 Mar 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0089/FUL/03
Erection of 9 houses with garages and associated roads and parking
- Blackburn Road, Bathgate
Received 21 Jan 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0043/FUL/03
Erection of a house with garage and formation of new entrance
3 Kettilstoun Grove/Braehead Road, Linlithgow
Received 7 Jan 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0409/FUL/06
Change of use from domestic garage to form a house
8 Burnhouse Farm Steading, East Calder, EH27 8DE
Received 12 Apr 2006
Records are ordered by application ID, not submission date. Use search to find a particular address or proposal.
View all applicationsApplications by postcode area
Get emailed about new planning applications in West Lothian
Area alerts send a daily or weekly email with new applications and decisions near a postcode, filtered by project type. £29 a month, up to 3 areas. Records are limited to the councils we collect.
Set up an area alertResearching a proposal in West Lothian
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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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 West Lothian, 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