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26,348 approved · 2,542 refused · 1,684 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0302/FUL/98
Extension to shop and installation of roller shutters
West End Store, Moorelands, Addiewell
Received 27 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0238/H/98
Extension to house
57 Philip Avenue, Linlithgow
Received 26 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0234/FUL/98
Erection of a 189 sqm office building
Westwood Works, Westwood, West Calder, EH55 8PN
Received 26 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0237/H/98
Extension to house
7 Beechwood Park, Deans, Livingston
Received 26 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0262/H/98
Erection of a fence
92 Bishops Park Mid Calder Livingston West Lothian EH53 0ST
Received 26 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0112/FUL/99
Erection of an industrial unit including car parking and yardage
- Starlaw Park, Livingston
Received 15 Feb 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0117/H/99
Extension to house and erection of a garage
25 Birniehill Crescent, Bathgate
Received 15 Feb 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0116/H/99
Extension to house
67 Deanburn Park, Linlithgow
Received 15 Feb 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0803/M/98
Variation of condition of planning permission 244/M/97 for extension of timescale to allow completion of restoration work at phase II area to 1 May 1999
Woodmuir Colliery Tip -, Breich
Received 17 Sept 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0728/LBC/99
Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent for alterations to existing external door to form access for the disabled
St Michaels Parish Church -, Linlithgow
Received 22 Sept 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0731/FUL/99
Extension to office
26 Almondvale South, Livingston
Received 21 Sept 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0649/FUL/99
Change of use from retail to leisure use
Units G8 & G9, Freeportshopping & Leisure Village, Westwood, West Calder
Received 18 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0647/FUL/99
Change of use from food & drink sales to retail use
Block A, Freeport Shopping & Leisure Village, Westwood, West Calder
Received 18 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0645/FUL/99
Installation of a shop front
26 Hopetoun Street, Bathgate
Received 18 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0644/FUL/99
Change of use to form maisonette
26 Hopetoun Street, Bathgate
Received 18 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0643/A/99
Erection of a fascia sign
26 Hopetoun Street, Bathgate
Received 18 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0701/P/99
Outline planning permission for the erection of a house and planning permission for the erection of a fence
- Mill Lane, Avonmill Industrial Estate, Linlithgow Bridge
Received 17 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0640/H/99
Formation of a balcony and erection of a conservatory
9 The Loan, Torphichen
Received 17 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0641/H/99
Installation of a dormer
7 Avenue Park, Mid Calder
Received 17 Aug 1999 - DecidedLIVE/0888/FUL/98
Provision of unit to accommodate solder paste blending operation
- Avontoun Works, Brookfield Industrial Estate, Linlithgow
Received 2 Nov 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0580/FUL/98
Shopfront alterations
57-61 West Main Street, Whitburn
Received 16 Jul 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0585/H/98
Erection of a garage
8 Mallard Brae, Livingston
Received 16 Jul 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0581/FUL/98
Erection of an agricultural building
Causewood Farm -, Kirknewton
Received 16 Jul 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0584/H/98
Installation of 2 bow windows and French doors
7 Craigs Court, Torphichen
Received 16 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