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 dates31,663Searchable applications
270Recorded as pending
91%Approval rate · 28,883 approved or refused records
2,537Refused applications
26,346 approved · 2,537 refused · 1,684 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 6 Jan 1992 to 23 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 31 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/1156/P/02
Outline planning permission for extensions to existing office, laboratory and warehouse facilities with associated parking and service access
- Inchwood, Bathgate
Received 12 Nov 2002 - DecidedLIVE/1164/H/02
Erection of garage
30 Polbeth Road, Polbeth
Received 12 Nov 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0276/FUL/03
Change of use and conversion of workshop/business units to form 2 houses
- Old Levenseat School, Fauldhouse
Received 28 Feb 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0500/FUL/03
Erection of a 371sqm stable block for 18 horses
Holmes Riding Stables Blackburn House Farm, Blackburn
Received 1 May 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0492/A/03
Erection of illuminated fascia and projecting signs
- McArthur Glen Outlet Centre, Livingston
Received 1 May 2003 - DecidedLIVE/0533/FUL/03
Conversion of part of cake shop to form additional living accomodation including alterations to roof
25 High Street, Linlithgow
Received 1 May 2003 - DecidedLIVE/1224/FUL/02
Erection of 48 houses with garages
Broxburn Academy Sites 1 & 2 McIntosh Court, Broxburn
Received 27 Nov 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0896/H/02
Erection of a conservatory
18 Wood Drive, Whitburn
Received 22 Aug 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0923/H/02
Formation of a driveway
1 Northfield Meadows, Longridge
Received 22 Aug 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0897/FUL/02
Erection of a 25m high ground based scots pine telecommunications tree mast with associated equipment cabins and compound.
Hardie Road, Deans Industrial Estate, Livingston
Received 22 Aug 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0894/FUL/02
Change of use and conversion of existing offices into 4 flats
71 West Main Street, Ashbank House, Broxburn
Received 22 Aug 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0903/P/02
Outline planning permission for a residential developmentFormation of 18 house plots including associated access roads and services
- Hens Nest Road, East Whitburn
Received 22 Aug 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0820/H/02
Erection of a conservatory
3 Byburn, Ecclesmachan
Received 29 Jul 2002 - DecidedLIVE/1163/H/02
Extension to house
8 Stevenson Court, Livingston
Received 12 Nov 2002 - DecidedLIVE/1159/FUL/02
Erection of house
Plot 2 Willow Park (PH 2), Fauldhouse
Received 12 Nov 2002 - DecidedLIVE/1162/H/02
Two storey extension to house
99 Avontoun Park, Linlithgow
Received 12 Nov 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0111/H/03
Erection of a conservatory
50 Spottiswoode Gardens, Mid Calder
Received 30 Jan 2003 - DecidedLIVE/1269/NID/02
Change of use from public open space and tree belt for the construction of public car park
- Chapleton Drive, Polbeth
Received 13 Dec 2002 - DecidedLIVE/1268/NID/02
Provision of access ramps, steps and handrails and alterations to main and side entrance doors
County Buildings High Street Linlithgow West Lothian EH49 7EZ
Received 13 Dec 2002 - DecidedLIVE/0014/FUL/03
Erection of a house with garage
Plot 5 Wallhouse, Torphichen
Received 13 Dec 2002 - DecidedLIVE/1281/FUL/02
Change of use from public open space to private garden ground and erection of a 1.8m high boundary fence
Plot 28 Almond Way, Seafield
Received 13 Dec 2002 - DecidedLIVE/1202/H/02
Extension to house and erection of a porch
7 Eastfield Road, Fauldhouse
Received 25 Nov 2002 - DecidedLIVE/1203/A/02
Erection of a free standing directional sign
1 Beveridge Square, Livingston
Received 25 Nov 2002 - DecidedLIVE/1219/H/02
Two storey extension to house
87 Crofters Gate, Bathgate
Received 25 Nov 2002
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
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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.
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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.
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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