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26,348 approved · 2,542 refused · 1,684 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0918/H/97
Extension to house
87 Beechwood, Linlithgow
Received 1 Dec 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0931/LBC/97
Listed Building Consent and Planning Permission for demolition & re-build of existing porch, renovation of windows and garage/house extension
Murieston Cottage, Murieston Mews, Murieston, Livingston
Received 1 Dec 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0744/H/97
Demolition of existing double garage and erection of new double garage
106 East Main Street, Whitburn
Received 19 Sept 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0737/H/97
Erection of Conservatory
3 Wallace Mill Gardens, Mid Calder
Received 19 Sept 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0735/FUL/97
Conversion of building and raising of existing roof to form 3 terraced houses
28/30 East Main Street, Blackburn
Received 18 Sept 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0753/FUL/97
Extension and alterations to hotel
- Strathalmond Hotel, Whitburn
Received 2 Sept 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0682/H/97
Erection of a conservatory
57 Church Court, Philpstoun
Received 2 Sept 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0699/H/97
Erection of a conservatory
52 Abbotsford Rise, Livingston
Received 2 Sept 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0688/FUL/97
Installation of a temporary portacabin for office use
Earl O' Murray Inn, Bonsyde, Linlithgow
Received 1 Sept 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0559/FUL/93
Proposed conservatory
46 Ochiltree Court, Mid Calder
Received 9 Aug 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0559/FUL/92
Installation of LPG tank
Park Villa Old Deans Road, Bathgate, EH48 1JU
Received 31 Jul 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0558/FUL/95
Proposed shopfront to new store
Whitburn Road, Bathgate, EH48 2RB
Received 31 Jul 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0558/FUL/94
Change of use of retail unit to licenced betting office
15 Union Square, West Calder
Received 29 Jul 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0558/FUL/93
Proposed extension to house and formation of driveway
14 Loanfoot Road, Uphall
Received 9 Aug 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0552/P/94
Outline planning permission for erection of a house
Land Cleuch Brae, West Calder
Received 29 Jul 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0552/H/96
Erection of a garage
64 Main Street, Blackridge
Received 25 Jun 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0552/FUL/95
Replacement of slate roof finish with concrete tiles
Masonic Arms Public House Station Road, Broxburn
Received 27 Jul 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0552/FUL/93
Erection of a garage
2 Goodall Crescent, Dechmont
Received 5 Aug 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0552/FUL/92
Erection of 88 houses
- Glenisla, Blaeberryhill Road, Whitburn
Received 28 Jul 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0551/FUL/96
Substitution of house types on Plots 13 & 14
Lyefield Place, Livingston
Received 25 Jun 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0551/FUL/95
Extension to football club premises
Strathyre Drive, Stoneyburn
Received 27 Jul 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0391/LBC/93
Listed Building Consent for retrospective consent for removal of mortar and pestle sign
131-133 High Street, Linlithgow
Received 14 Jun 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0391/FUL/96
Change of use to form hot food takeaway
81B East Main Street, Broxburn
Received 13 May 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0391/FUL/94
Erection of two houses
Plots 40 And 41 Heatherpark, Seafield
Received 25 May 1994
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