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26,348 approved · 2,542 refused · 1,684 withdrawn.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: 7 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0836/H/95
Attic conversion
5 Friars Loan, Linlithgow, EH46 6BE
Received 5 Dec 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0836/FUL/96
Erection of two houses on Plots 651 and 652
Barnes Green Knightsridge, Livingston
Received 19 Sept 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0836/FUL/94
Erection of a stable and loose boxes
3 Millbank, Blackridge
Received 3 Nov 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0667/FUL/92
Erection of a house
Garden Of 7 Easton Road, Bathgate
Received 15 Sept 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0666/A/95
Erection of a free standing sign
Site Off B9080 West Of Bridgend Farm, Bridgend
Received 11 Sept 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0802/H/95
Erection of a conservatory
2 Humbie Holdings, Kirknewton
Received 17 Nov 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0793/FUL/93
Erection of a garage
42 Merker Terrace, Linlithgow
Received 8 Nov 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0792/H/95
Erection of a 2 storey extension to house
88 Bishops Park, Mid Calder, EH53 Ost
Received 13 Nov 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0792/A/96
Erection of a free standing sign A89
Station Road, Broxburn
Received 6 Sept 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0792/FUL/94
Proposed conservatory
05 Langside Gardens, Polbeth, EH55 8QP
Received 21 Oct 1994 - DecidedLIVE/1098/FUL/96
Change of use from betting shop to house
6 Main Street, Winchburgh
Received 31 Dec 1996 - DecidedLIVE/1097/FUL/96
Proposed new restaurant and takeaway food shop
- Almondside, Almondvale, Livingston
Received 24 Dec 1996 - DecidedLIVE/1096/LBC/96
Listed Building Consent for refurbishment and repairs to form training centre
Howden House Howden Park, Livingston
Received 24 Dec 1996 - DecidedLIVE/1095/A/96
Three signboards
5 The Vennel, Linlithgow
Received 23 Dec 1996 - DecidedLIVE/1094/FUL/96
New shop front
5 The Vennel, Linlithgow
Received 23 Dec 1996 - DecidedLIVE/1093/A/96
Proposed signboards
Site KW5C, Thompson Green, Knightsridge, Livingston
Received 23 Dec 1996 - DecidedLIVE/1092/A/96
Proposed signboards
4B Park Lane, Livingston
Received 23 Dec 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0556/FUL/93
Proposed replacement windows
3 The Loan, Torphichen
Received 9 Aug 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0555/P/93
Outline planning permission for the erection of a house
Redhouse Cottages , Blackburn
Received 5 Aug 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0555/H/96
Installation of a dormer window
Station Road, Armadale
Received 25 Jun 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0546/FUL/95
Erection of 17 bed single person accommodation including new farm byre and rehabilitation of existing cottage
12 Humbie Holdings, Wilkieston
Received 26 Jul 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0546/FUL/94
Proposed erection of a house and garage
19 & 17 Main Street, Blackridge
Received 26 Jul 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0545/P/96
Outline planning permission for residential development
1-5 South Street, Armadale
Received 25 Jun 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0545/FUL/95
Erection of a house
New Inn Auldhill Road, Bridgend
Received 26 Jul 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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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