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26,345 approved · 2,540 refused · 1,684 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0232/A/99
Erection of illuminated fascia and free standing signs
144A West Main Street, Broxburn
Received 29 Mar 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0523/FUL/98
Proposed shopfront improvements
29 West Main Street, Whitburn
Received 25 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0380/FUL/99
Erection of a bungalow and garage and temporary location of a caravan (residential)
Plot 10 (10) Birch Grove (Willow Grove), Greenburn, Fauldhouse, EH47 9AP
Received 17 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0376/H/99
Installation of rooflights
5 Royal Terrace, Linlithgow
Received 17 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0381/H/99
Erection of a porch
30 Deerhill, Dechmont
Received 17 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0378/H/99
Erection of a garage/store and conservatory
1 Latch Farm Cottages, Leyden Road, Kirknewton
Received 17 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0735/H/98
Extension to house
35 Glasgow Road, Bathgate
Received 7 Sept 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0755/LBC/98
Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent for the installation of replacement windows and doors to south elevation
Ashley Hall, Mains Road, Linlithgow
Received 7 Sept 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0729/H/98
Erection of a conservatory
40A Strathbrock Place, Uphall
Received 7 Sept 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0911/H/99
Erection of a conservatory
14 Jockshill Crescent, Linlithgow
Received 18 Nov 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0213/H/00
Installation of a dormer
5 Manse Road, Whitburn
Received 2 Mar 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0294/H/00
Extension to house
105 Parkhead Crescent, West Calder
Received 2 Mar 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0217/H/00
Two storey extension to house
149 Avontoun Park, Linlithgow
Received 2 Mar 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0215/FUL/00
Change of use from public open space to private garden ground
173 Ambrose Rise, Livingston
Received 2 Mar 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0216/H/00
Extension to house
3 Huntburn Avenue, Linlithgow
Received 2 Mar 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0244/H/00
Erection of a 1.8m high fence
140 South Village, Pumpherston
Received 2 Mar 2000 - DecidedLIVE/0791/FUL/99
Change of use from office to house
258 Main Street, East Calder
Received 13 Oct 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0797/FUL/99
Internal alterations and formation of a new window
223 High Street (Brae Court), Linlithgow
Received 13 Oct 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0798/FUL/99
Erection of primary care centre and formation of associated car parking following demolition of existing buildings
- Whitburn Road, Bathgate
Received 12 Oct 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0795/A/99
Erection of illuminated hoardings with associated landscaping and fencing
- Almondvale Road (Bus Station), Almondvale, Livingston
Received 12 Oct 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0793/H/99
Erection of outbuilding with garage and snooker room and formation of pitched roof over existing rear extension
71 Marjoribanks Street, Bathgate
Received 12 Oct 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0522/FUL/98
Proposed shopfront improvement
33 West Main Street, Whitburn
Received 25 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0521/H/98
Erection of a conservatory
9 Bankton Gardens, Livingston
Received 24 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0516/A/98
Erection of 2 freestanding signboards
Cairn Hotel, Blackburn Road, Bathgate
Received 23 Jun 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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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