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 dates31,683Searchable applications
275Recorded as pending
91%Approval rate · 28,891 approved or refused records
2,543Refused applications
26,348 approved · 2,543 refused · 1,684 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 6 Jan 1992 to 4 Nov 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0857/FUL/95
Extension to office and new loading bay
Unit 35A Simpson Way, East Mains Industrial Estate, Broxburn
Received 12 Dec 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0857/FUL/94
Erection of a house
83 Sheephousehill, Fauldhouse
Received 11 Nov 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0856/H/96
Formation of a driveway off A706 Longridge Road
18 Turnhigh Road, Whitburn
Received 27 Sept 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0856/FUL/95
Change of use of public open space to form temporary builders compound for adjacent development
Site At Roosevelt Road, Kirknewton
Received 12 Dec 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0856/FUL/94
Erection of 6 houses
Mill Road, Linlithgow
Received 11 Nov 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0856/FUL/93
Erection of a house
128 Belvedere Road, Bathgate, EH48 4AZ
Received 6 Dec 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0805/A/96
Erection of a facia and projecting sign
88 High Street, Linlithgow
Received 10 Sept 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0805/A/93
Erection of signboard
64 North Bridge Street, Bathgate
Received 16 Nov 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0846/FUL/93
Change of use of stable/workshop to restaurant
50 High Street, Linlithgow
Received 2 Dec 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0795/P/92
Outline planning permission for a house
SITE2, Ballencrieff Mill Balmuir Road, Bathgate
Received 12 Nov 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0795/A/95
Erection of facia signs
2 East Main Street, Broxburn
Received 13 Nov 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0598/FUL/96
Erection of a house
76 Harburn Road, West Calder
Received 8 Jul 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0598/FUL/95
Erection of a storage hut
Hopetoun Campsite Hopetoun Estate, South Queensferry
Received 14 Aug 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0598/FUL/94
Operation of retail market on Saturdays
- Whitburn Road, Bathgate, EH48 2RB
Received 11 Aug 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0547/M/93
Extension of planning permission for the disposal of commercial, industrial, construction and inert wastes to January 1999 and extension of area to be tipped
- Auldcathie Landfill Site, Glendevon Farm, Winchburgh
Received 3 Aug 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0547/LBC/94
Listed Building Consent and planning permission for alterations and extension
The Smiddy , Ecclesmachan
Received 26 Jul 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0547/H/96
Erection of garage
14 Balbardie Crescent, Bathgate
Received 25 Jun 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0547/FUL/95
Formation of two serviced house plots
Lochbank Cathlaw Lane, Torphichen
Received 27 Jul 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0547/FUL/92
Proposed tree nursery with garage/equipment store
Site At Riddochhill Road, Blackburn
Received 27 Jul 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0546/P/92
Outline planning permission for erection of eighty bedroom nursing home
Colt Hill South Methven Street, Linlithgow
Received 27 Jul 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0546/LBC/93
Listed Building Consent for internal alterations and the fitting of velux windows
House 4 The Bath House, Avonbridge
Received 3 Aug 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0546/H/96
Erection of 2 storey extension
100/102 Pumpherston Road, Uphall Station
Received 25 Jun 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0778/FUL/93
Erection of 10 semi-detached and 5 detached houses
Heatherpark , Seafield
Received 4 Nov 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0778/FUL/92
Erection of a garage
22 Albyn Cottages, Broxburn
Received 4 Nov 1992
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 permission drawings: how to read plans
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