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26,345 approved · 2,540 refused · 1,684 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0241/H/98
Extension to house
Bridgend Cottage, Longridge Road, Whitburn
Received 31 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0263/H/98
Erection of a garage
4 Cunnigar Gardens, Mid Calder
Received 30 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/1004/H/98
Extension to house
30 Loanfoot Road, Uphall
Received 21 Dec 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0431/H/99
Erection of a detached garage
220 Pentland View, South Village, Pumpherston
Received 14 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0375/H/99
Extension to house
22 Bonnytoun Terrace, Linlithgow
Received 14 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0363/H/99
Extension to rear of house
12B Bathgate Road, Blackburn
Received 13 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0362/H/99
Extension to house
30 Clarendon Crescent, Linlithgow
Received 13 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0364/LBC/99
Reinstate dormer window heads on south elevation and rebuild south wallhead chimney head in stone
Ochiltree Castle -, Linlithgow
Received 13 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0798/FUL/98
Change of use to form ground floor hot food shop and upper floor restaurant
8 George Place, Bathgate
Received 1 Oct 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0797/FUL/98
Conversion of a farm building to form a house
- Torbeg, South Cobinshaw, West Calder
Received 1 Oct 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0841/H/98
Erection of a conservatory
9 Yew Grove, Craigshill, Livingston
Received 1 Oct 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0800/FUL/98
Change of use from house to offices
38 Bank Street, Mid Calder
Received 1 Oct 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0795/FUL/98
Erection of a house and garage
Plot 5 The Steading, South Lodge Avenue, Mid Calder
Received 30 Sept 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0794/H/98
Extension to house
29 Jones Green, Knightsridge, Livingston
Received 29 Sept 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0799/FUL/98
Formation of a temporary Contractor's site compound
- Limefield Crescent, Bathgate
Received 29 Sept 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0811/H/98
Two storey extension to house
35 Polbeth Road, Polbeth
Received 28 Sept 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0488/FUL/98
Change of use to Class 1 Retail
- Almondvale West Retail Park, Livingston
Received 11 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0487/H/98
Extension to house
52 Bankton Drive, Murieston, Livingston
Received 11 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0629/H/99
Increase height of wall to 6ft
50 Mossbank, Ladywell, Livingston
Received 12 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0632/H/99
Extension to dormer to form shower room
6 Ashley Court, Linlithgow
Received 11 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0537/FUL/99
Erection of a smoking room
- Easter Inch, Bathgate
Received 8 Jul 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0792/FUL/98
Change of use from public open space to private garden ground
5 Kepscaith Grove, Whitburn
Received 28 Sept 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0789/FUL/98
Erection of a house and garage
46 Newpark Road, Bellsquarry
Received 28 Sept 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0563/FUL/98
Extension to MOT testing garage
Unit 1 Foulshiels Road, Stoneyburn
Received 10 Jul 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