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26,348 approved · 2,542 refused · 1,684 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0847/H/98
Erection of a conservatory
12 Kaims Place, Kirkton, Livingston
Received 20 Oct 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0254/FUL/98
Erection of 40 houses & garages and associated traffic calming
- Crosshill Drive, Bathgate
Received 6 Mar 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0933/H/97
Extension to house
65 Elizabeth Drive, Bathgate
Received 5 Dec 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0940/H/97
Extension to house
3 Letham Holdings, Pumpherston, EH53 0LX
Received 5 Dec 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0930/FUL/97
Erection of a building to house a 'large vehicle chasis straightening jig' and site landscaping
- West Foulshiels Farm, East Whitburn, EH47 8AA
Received 4 Dec 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0883/A/97
Erection of an illuminated projecting sign
First Floor, Cairngorm House, Almondvale Boulevard, Livingston
Received 18 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0885/H/97
To site oil storage tank for central heating system
6 Bridgecastle House, Bridgecastle
Received 18 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0879/H/97
Demolition of existing extension and erection of conservatory
93 Muir Road, Bathgate
Received 17 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0876/P/97
Renewal of Outline Planning Permission 579/1993 for the erection of a hotel
- Blackness Road, Linlithgow
Received 14 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0874/H/97
Formation of a balcony
Hardhill Farm -, Bathgate
Received 14 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0870/FUL/97
Removal of condition No.4 of planning permission 568/94 restricting the ridge and wallhead heights of a house to 6m and 2.8m respectively
Plot 4 The Steading, South Lodge Avenue, Mid Calder
Received 14 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0868/FUL/97
Installation of roller shutters
1-3 East Main Street, Broxburn
Received 14 Nov 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0970/H/97
Extension over existing garage
61 Acredales Linlithgow West Lothian EH49 6HY
Received 18 Dec 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0968/FUL/97
Installation of ATM Cash Machine
- West Main Street, Whitburn
Received 18 Dec 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0961/P/97
Renewal of outline planning permission 864/P/94 for a residential development
Boghall Farm -, Linlithgow
Received 18 Dec 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0140/A/98
Erection of 2 freestanding signboards and fascia signs
Golden Circle Hotel Blackburn Road, Bathgate
Received 27 Feb 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0139/A/98
Erection of a freestanding signboard
- Old Brickworks, Lower Bathville, Armadale
Received 27 Feb 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0138/H/98
Erection of a conservatory
5 Sheriffs Park, Linlithgow
Received 27 Feb 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0134/H/98
Installation of an oil storage tank
The Coach House, Hermand Estate, West Calder
Received 26 Feb 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0135/ARM/98
Erection of a house and garage
Plot 2 The Fieldings, Hens Nest Road, East Whitburn
Received 26 Feb 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0132/FUL/98
Installation of a 1.3 metre satellite antenna
19/21 Hopetoun Street, Bathgate
Received 26 Feb 1998 - DecidedLIVE/0914/FUL/97
Erection of a house, reception block, field store & pump house at sports fishery
- Ballencrieff Reservoir No. 2, Bathgate
Received 1 Dec 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0915/H/97
Erection of a garage
1 Westermains, Armadale
Received 1 Dec 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0912/P/97
Outline permission for the erection of two houses
- Mill Road, Armadale
Received 28 Nov 1997
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