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 dates31,672Searchable applications
266Recorded as pending
91%Approval rate · 28,890 approved or refused records
2,542Refused applications
26,348 approved · 2,542 refused · 1,684 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 6 Jan 1992 to 30 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0815/FUL/97
Substitution of house type
Plot 52 Kingfisher Rise, Seafield
Received 16 Oct 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0839/FUL/97
Erection of 10 houses
- Limefield Crescent, Boghall, Bathgate
Received 16 Oct 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0632/H/97
Planning permission and conservation area consent to demolish lean-to extension and form bay window
- The Bridgehouse, Mid Calder
Received 31 Jul 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0681/FUL/98
Part change of use from shop to studio flat
20 Hopetoun Street, Bathgate
Received 20 Aug 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0680/FUL/98
Installation of an ATM cash machine
Alldays, Fulmar Brae, Newyearfield, Livingston
Received 20 Aug 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0683/H/98
Erection of a double garage
2 Inchcross Steadings, Standhill, Bathgate
Received 20 Aug 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0678/FUL/98
Extension to leisure pool to form fitness suite and associated changing areas
Bubbles Leisure Pool Almondvale Boulevard, Almondvale, Livingston
Received 19 Aug 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0756/ARM/98
Erection of a house, linked ancillary accomodation and 2 garage
Plot 8 Riverside Lea, Blackburn House Farm, Seafield
Received 17 Aug 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0676/H/98
Extension to house and installation of 1200 litre LPG tank
22 Ballencrieff Toll, Westview Cottage, Bathgate
Received 17 Aug 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0049/FUL/98
Erection of a house and double garage with car port
Plot 7 Murieston Woods, Murieston, Livingston
Received 28 Jan 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0053/H/98
Extension to house
15 Westgate, Mid Calder
Received 28 Jan 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0855/H/97
Erection of a garage
34 Deanburn Park, Linlithgow
Received 6 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0857/H/97
Erection of garage and stables
Croft 12 Hens Nest Road, East Whitburn
Received 5 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0856/FUL/97
Conversion of steading/outbuildings to form 2 houses
- Humbie Farm, Kirknewton
Received 5 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0869/FUL/97
Extension to form additional storage facility
Unit 35A Simpson Way, East Mains Industrial Estate, Broxburn
Received 5 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0851/H/97
Installation of dormer windows
28 Gareloch Way, Whitburn
Received 4 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0861/FUL/97
Variation of condition 6 of planning application 557/96 to allow commencement of house plots in advance of operation of equestrian centre
- Hen's Nest Road, East Whitburn
Received 4 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0473/H/98
Erection of a conservatory
34 Ochiltree Crescent, Mid Calder
Received 5 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0474/FUL/98
Erection of a house and garage
Plot 18 Willow Park, Fauldhouse
Received 4 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0476/FUL/98
Relocation of beer garden
The Firs, Langside Gardens, Polbeth
Received 4 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0466/H/98
Erection of a conservatory
91 Falside Crescent, Bathgate
Received 4 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0471/P/98
Outline permission for the erection of a house
2 Letham Holdings, Pumpherston
Received 4 Jun 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0771/M/96
Opencasting/quarry to extract a limited amount of Binny stone
Oatridge Agricultural College , Ecclesmachan, EH52 6NH
Received 30 Aug 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0771/FUL/95
Change of use from domestic garage to car repairs (minor) garage
22 Mosside Road, Blackburn
Received 31 Oct 1995
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 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