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26,345 approved · 2,540 refused · 1,684 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0736/LBC/99
Listed Building Consent & Planning Permission for the painting of shop front (in retrospect)
62 High Street, Linlithgow
Received 23 Apr 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0520/NID/99
Extension to school to form four classrooms
West Calder High School -, Limefield, Polbeth
Received 30 Jun 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0161/FUL/99
Erection of a garage
Community Centre, Marjoribanks Street, Bathgate
Received 3 Mar 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0448/FUL/99
Erection of a house and single garage
Plot 48 Heatherwood, Seafield
Received 4 Jun 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0862/H/99
Erection of a 1.8m high fence and form pitched roof over garage
47 Maukeshill Court, Livingston Village, Livingston
Received 3 Nov 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0696/H/99
Erection of a conservatory
82 Sheephousehill, Fauldhouse
Received 7 Sept 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0705/LBC/99
Listed building consent and planning permission for alterations to elevations including new lime harl at front and new cills, smooth render bonds and replacement lintols at rear
63 High Street, Linlithgow
Received 7 Sept 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0601/FUL/99
Change of use of retail unit to licensed betting office
9-11 West Main Street (Unit 1), Armadale
Received 4 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0607/H/99
Demolition of existing garage and erection of a new garage
1 Loaninghill Cottages, Uphall
Received 4 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0605/H/99
Erection of a 6ft high fence
Between 26 & 75 Wallacemill Gardens, Mid Calder
Received 4 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0606/H/99
Extension and alterations to house and erection of a conservatory
59 Avontoun Park, Linlithgow
Received 4 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0633/FUL/99
Extension to post office and shop
3 Drumshoreland Road, Pumpherston
Received 29 Jun 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0514/H/99
Erection of a garage/garden store
11 Glasgow Road, Bathgate
Received 29 Jun 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0513/A/99
Installation of an illuminated fascia sign
23 George Street, Bathgate
Received 29 Jun 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0440/FUL/99
Erection of 2 single storey offices and 2 No. 2 storey offices with assocated car parking
- Fairbairn Road, Kirkton North, Livingston
Received 31 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0434/A/99
Erection of an illuminated signboard
- Pardovan Works, Philpstoun
Received 31 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0433/P/99
Outline permission for the erection of a house
Cowdenhead Farm -, Armadale
Received 31 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0430/H/99
Erection of a garage
10 Station Road, Blackridge
Received 28 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0432/H/99
Extension and alterations to house
1 Deanburn Park, Linlithgow
Received 28 May 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0259/FUL/98
Change of use to form 2 golf holes
- Greenburn Golf Club, Greenburn Road, Fauldhouse
Received 1 Apr 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0242/A/98
Erection of illuminated monument and fascia signs
1 Bell Square, Brucefield Industrial Park, Livingston
Received 31 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0245/FUL/98
Extension to factory unit
- Brocks Way, East Mains Industrial Estate, Broxburn
Received 31 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0249/FUL/98
Erection of a church hall
St. John's Church, Mid Street, Bathgate
Received 31 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0248/FUL/98
Erection of a house
Plot 6 Willow Park, Fauldhouse
Received 31 Mar 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