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 dates31,669Searchable applications
269Recorded as pending
91%Approval rate · 28,885 approved or refused records
2,540Refused applications
26,345 approved · 2,540 refused · 1,684 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 6 Jan 1992 to 29 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 5 Nov 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0203/H/98
Erection of a garden shed
2 High Brae, Torphichen
Received 17 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0201/P/98
Renewal of outline planning permission 119/P/95 for the construction of 1.1km long railway siding and waste transfer facility with hardstanding and winching facilities
- Levenseat Quarry, Fauldhouse
Received 16 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0200/P/98
Outline permission for the erection of a house
- Edinburgh Road, Linlithgow
Received 16 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0216/ARM/98
Erection of 5 houses
Ormiston Farm -, Kirknewton
Received 16 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0025/FUL/99
Erection of 3 houses
The Stackyard, Boghall Steading, Linlithgow
Received 13 Jan 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0013/H/99
Erection of a garage
3 Hoghill Court, East Calder
Received 13 Jan 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0678/FUL/97
Erection of a 10 bedroom block
Bankton House Wester Bankton, Murieston, Livingston
Received 28 Aug 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0776/H/97
Installation of replacement windows
50 Main Street, Kirknewton
Received 28 Aug 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0676/FUL/97
Installation of a new shop front
Unit 1 Whitburn Road, Bathgate
Received 28 Aug 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0692/FUL/97
Change of use from double garage to a food testing labratory
Achnacraig, Broompark, Torphichen
Received 28 Aug 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0716/H/97
Erection of a conservatory
53 Ravenswood Rise, Dedridge, Livingston
Received 28 Aug 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0816/H/97
Formation of car parking and access
11 Russell Avenue, Armadale
Received 22 Oct 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0633/A/97
Erection of a fascia sign
Unit 4, 24B Whitburn Road, Bathgate
Received 6 Aug 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0634/FUL/97
Change of use to open air retail market & car boot sale on Sundays only
Almondvale Stadium, Almondvale Stadium Road, Almondvale, Livingston
Received 6 Aug 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0630/FUL/97
Erection of a house with garage
Plot 4 Lumsden Court, Kirkhill Nursery, Broxburn
Received 6 Aug 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0629/H/97
Extension to house
22 Crofters Way, East Whitburn
Received 5 Aug 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0247/FUL/99
Erection of a canopy building to loading bay
- Nettlehill Road, Houston Industrial Estate, Livingston
Received 6 Apr 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0300/H/99
Extension to house
15 Forth View, Kirknewton
Received 6 Apr 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0154/NID/99
Relocation and conversion of an existing office building, to be used as a Community Centre and construction of associated car parking
- Roosevelt Rd/Churchill Way, Kirknewton
Received 2 Mar 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0151/H/99
Extension to house to form a garage
Dionard, Burngrange, West Calder
Received 2 Mar 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0156/P/99
Outline permission for the formation of 10 Lowland Crofts
Easter Longridge Farm -, Longridge
Received 1 Mar 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0148/H/99
First floor extension to form 1 1/2 storey house
11 Glasgow Road, Bathgate
Received 1 Mar 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0147/FUL/99
Erection of a single storey extension
54-56 East Main Street, Whitburn
Received 1 Mar 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0289/FUL/98
Location of gas & oil tanks
Tighballa Restaurant -, Wallhouse Mine, Torphichen
Received 8 Apr 1998
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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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