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 dates30,232Searchable applications
270Recorded as pending
91%Approval rate · 27,500 approved or refused records
2,421Refused applications
25,079 approved · 2,421 refused · 1,646 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 30 Jul 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0426/FUL/98
Conversion of former dental surgery to form 2 flats
14 East Main Street, Broxburn
Received 21 May 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0053/FUL/99
Conversion of derelict house to form 3 flats
16 Market Street, Mid Calder
Received 22 Jan 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0854/A/97
Erection of 3 No. signboards
- Station View Kennels & A71/B7031, Kirknewton
Received 4 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0705/LBC/97
Listed Building Consent & Planning Permission to remove existing soffits over entrance and emergency exit doorways
- Livingston Inn, Livingston Village, Livingston
Received 11 Sept 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0191/FUL/00
Extension to provide new workshop
Bloom House Main Street, Livingston Village, Livingston
Received 29 Feb 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0559/FUL/99
Erection of a green keeping building
- Drumshoreland Road, Pumpherston
Received 20 Jul 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0085/FUL/00
Erection of 51 houses
Site Elie Avenue, Livingston
Received 27 Jan 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0198/FUL/00
Change of use from food and drink to retail and from leisure (units 4/5) to food and drink
- Freeport Shopping & Leisure Village, Westwood, West Calder
Received 24 Feb 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0258/LBC/98
Listed Building Consent for internal alterations and removal of chimney
Philpstoun House -, Philpstoun
Received 2 Apr 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0749/NID/98
Construction of new access roads for future development
Rosebank Nursery -, Kirkton Campus, Livingston
Received 14 Sept 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0835/FUL/99
Erection of a health club
Bannatynes Health Club, Charlesfield Road, Adambrae, Livingston
Received 20 Oct 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0371/FUL/99
Construction of industrial units
- Oakbank Parkway, Oakbank Industrial Estate, Livingston
Received 17 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0519/H/97
Erection of a garage
47 Beechwood Park, Uphall Station
Received 27 Jun 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0857/FUL/01
Formation of an access path to childrens nursery
53/55 High Street, Linlithgow
Received 12 Sept 2001 - DecidedLIVE/1208/H/02
Extension to house
12 Redmill, East Whitburn
Received 19 Sept 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0120/FUL/03
Change of use and conversion of a barn into a licensed restaurant and formation of parking, access and landscaping
- Park Farm, Linlithgow
Received 31 Jan 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0228/H/03
Extension to house
15 Tern Brae, Ladywell, Livingston
Received 4 Mar 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0030/H/03
Demolition of a conservatory and erection of house extension
Carriber, Mains Road, Linlithgow
Received 10 Jan 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0307/FUL/03
Erection of 3 small industrial workshops (288sqm)
Unit 17 Armadale Industrial Estate, Armadale
Received 21 Mar 2003 - DecidedLIVE/1026/H/02
Installation of bay window
72 Braekirk Avenue, Kirknewton
Received 4 Oct 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0219/LBC/03
Listed building consent for the conversion and alteration of a 'bakehouse' to form a house
Rear Of 77 High Street, Linlithgow
Received 3 Mar 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0504/NID/98
Environmental improvements to gardens & traffic calming proposals
1-71 & 2-56 Chapelton Drive, Polbeth
Received 17 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0291/FUL/98
Erection of a house
Plot 7 Northfield Meadows, Longridge
Received 14 Apr 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0157/FUL/99
Substitution of house types on plots 50 & 59
- Tantallon Gardens, Murieston, Livingston
Received 2 Mar 1999
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