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26,345 approved · 2,540 refused · 1,684 withdrawn.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: 6 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0781/FUL/96
Heritage/retail/leisure/recreational development
- Freeport Shopping & Leisure Village, Westwood, West Calder, EH55 8PN
Received 4 Sept 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0781/FUL/95
Change of use for part of building to allow the sale of imported goods for sale
- Simpson Road, East Mains Industrial Estate, Broxburn, EH52 5AU
Received 7 Nov 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0781/FUL/94
Erection of a fence
12 Westmuir Road, West Calder, EH52 8EX
Received 19 Oct 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0781/FUL/93
Erection of double garage
39 Dell Avenue, Armadale, EH48 3NA
Received 5 Nov 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0780/M/93
Tipping of topsoil
The Firs, Langside Gardens, Polbeth
Received 4 Nov 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0780/FUL/96
Erection of 130 houses
- Bankton Brae (MW5), Murieston, Livingston
Received 4 Sept 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0760/FUL/95
Erection of a garage
16 West Craigs Road, Blackridge
Received 27 Oct 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0760/P/94
Outline planning permission for residential development
Westfield Site, Station Road, Philpstoun
Received 11 Oct 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0759/NID/93
Erection of business units
Site At Park Terrace, Broxburn
Received 27 Oct 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0897/FUL/93
Erection of 2 blocks of 4 terraced houses
Site At Breich Terrace, Breich
Received 20 Dec 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0896/FUL/96
Erection of house and double garage
Plot 3 Inchcross, Bathgate
Received 8 Oct 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0896/FUL/94
Proposed house
31 East Main Street, Broxburn, EH54 5PH
Received 29 Nov 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0896/FUL/93
Extension to house
9 Victoria Park, Fauldhouse
Received 20 Dec 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0895/LBC/96
Listed building consent for conversion of steading into 5 houses
The Bungalow Ormiston Farm, Kirknewton
Received 8 Oct 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0895/FUL/94
Erection of a house
Kaimfoot , Mid Calder
Received 28 Nov 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0895/FUL/93
Additional use of coal yard for vehicle salvage and dismantling
Polkemmet Garage Dixon Terrace, Whitburn, EH47 0LH
Received 17 Dec 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0894/LBC/93
Listed Building Consent and planning permission for installation of automated teller machine (ATM)
43A High Street, Linlithgow, EH49 7ED
Received 17 Dec 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0894/H/96
Erection of a conservatory
23 Kirkfield East, Livingston
Received 4 Oct 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0757/P/92
Outline planning permission for a house
Site A Muirhousedykes , Loganlea
Received 27 Oct 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0757/H/96
Extension to garage
Thornton House Falkirk Road, Linlithgow
Received 23 Aug 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0757/A/95
Erection of free standing and fascia signs
Howden West Filling -, Howden, Livingston
Received 25 Oct 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0757/FUL/94
Erection of pitched roof to existing extension and erection of conservatory
53 Philip Avenue, Linlithgow
Received 11 Oct 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0757/FUL/93
Proposed redevelopment of garage to provide a petrol filling station
13-15 Glasgow Road, Bathgate
Received 27 Oct 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0817/A/96
Erection of a freestanding signboard
- Mill Road, Linlithgow Bridge
Received 13 Sept 1996
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