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 dates30,337Searchable applications
270Recorded as pending
91%Approval rate · 27,600 approved or refused records
2,434Refused applications
25,166 approved · 2,434 refused · 1,651 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 28 Jun 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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
- UnknownLIVE/0582/NID/98
Alterations to form special Needs School and Child Development Unit
Almondbank Primary School -, Craigshill, Livingston
Received 16 Jul 1998 - DecidedLIVE/1008/H/98
Formation of dormers
13 West Main Street, Blackburn
Received 21 Dec 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0976/P/98
Outline planning permision for the erection of a house
46 Hardhill Road, Bathgate
Received 9 Dec 1998 - DecidedLIVE/1049/H/06
Formation of dormer window and 1 1/2 storey extension to rear of the house
111 Glasgow Road, Bathgate, EH48 2QN
Received 25 Sept 2006 - DecidedLIVE/1024/P/06
Outline planning permission for a 1.0 ha residential development comprising 4 houses
Inveroe, Lanark Road, Balerno, EH14 7JQ
Received 21 Sept 2006 - DecidedLIVE/1018/H/06
Erection of a conservatory
85 East Main Street, Uphall, Broxburn, EH52 5JA
Received 21 Sept 2006 - DecidedLIVE/0805/H/06
Extension to house
4 Marrfield Road, Uphall Station, EH54 5QE
Received 27 Jul 2006 - DecidedLIVE/0537/M/03
Continued minerals extraction over 5.6ha
- Etna Works, Armadale
Received 23 Apr 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0665/H/03
Extension to house
6 Listloaning Place, Linlithgow Bridge
Received 16 Jun 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0434/FUL/03
Erection of gate piers at site entrance
- Paddockhall Cottages, (Former Highways Depot), Linlithgow
Received 23 Apr 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0481/FUL/03
Installation of 4 replacement oil storage tanks
- Standhill, Bathgate
Received 23 Apr 2003 - DecidedLIVE/1194/H/02
Extension to house
48 Albyn Drive, Murieston, Livingston
Received 21 Nov 2002 - DecidedLIVE/1201/H/02
Erection of a conservatory
14 Knowetop, Bellsquarry, Livingston
Received 21 Oct 2002 - DecidedLIVE/1103/A/02
Erection of a hanging sign
13 Avon Place, Linlithgow
Received 9 Oct 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0788/FUL/02
Installation of a 1 m diameter satellite dish
22 Main Street, West Calder
Received 18 Jul 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0782/FUL/02
Conversion of former bakery to two houses (Class 9)
25 High Street, Linlithgow
Received 17 Jul 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0719/H/02
Formation of a bay window
34 Beechwood, Linlithgow
Received 2 Jul 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0716/FUL/02
Formation of 2 new vehicle access points
- Edinburgh Road, Bathgate
Received 2 Jul 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0613/H/02
Proposed extension to dwellinghouse
15 Grange View, Linlithgow
Received 5 Jun 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0492/FUL/98
Change of use of building and land from class 4 to form country inn restaurant
- Starlaw, Bathgate
Received 1 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0164/FUL/99
Formation of a stockpile & yard area and change of use from turf production to landscaping business
Wester Blacklaws Farm -, Longridge
Received 28 Jan 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0366/A/98
Erection of a bus shelter with 2 advertising panels
- Houston Road (East Bound), By Napier Square, Livingston
Received 5 May 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0795/FUL/97
Installation of communications satellite antenna
8 Hopetoun Street, Bathgate
Received 19 Sept 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0081/FUL/00
Conversion of shop unit to house
3A Union Road, Bathgate
Received 27 Jan 2000
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
All planning guides
Understanding planning · 13 min read
Planning permission drawings: how to read plans
Read planning drawings, floor plans, elevations and sections. Use labelled diagrams, a drawing comparison table and revision checks to understand a proposal.
UK researchPublished Updated
Property research · 13 min read
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.
UK researchPublished Updated
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