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26,348 approved · 2,543 refused · 1,684 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0259/P/93
Outline planning permission for erection of 2 houses
5 Back Station Road, Linlithgow
Received 30 Apr 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0259/A/96
Erection of a bus shelter with two advertising panels
Main Street, East Calder
Received 10 Apr 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0259/H/97
Erection of a dormer
10 Station Road, Winchburgh
Received 16 Apr 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0259/P/95
Outline planning permission for the erection of a house
East Plot 'The Smithy', Dechmont
Received 20 Apr 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0259/FUL/92
Part change of use to car sales (Class 3), MOT station, workshop extension and security fence
1-9 Main Street, Kirknewton, EH53 0EP
Received 14 Apr 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0258/P/92
Change of use from light industrial to residential and outline planning permission for residential development
61 Muir Road, Bathgate
Received 14 Apr 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0458/FUL/96
Fitting of security shutter to shopfront
160 Main Street, East Calder
Received 4 Jun 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0458/FUL/95
Extension to house
7 Raw Holdings, East Calder
Received 27 Jun 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0458/FUL/94
Erection of a garage
63 Glenalmond, Whitburn, EH47 8PB
Received 23 Jun 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0458/FUL/93
Proposed extension
Avonview Cottage Strathloanhead, Westfield
Received 6 Jul 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0458/FUL/92
Extension to house
124 Forrest Walk, Uphall, EH52 5PW
Received 29 Jun 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0457/P/95
Outline permission for residential development
Land On East Side Crosshill Drive, Bathgate
Received 26 Jun 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0457/P/93
Outline Planning Permission for a house
South Village, Pumpherston
Received 6 Jul 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0457/FUL/94
Re-location of caravan
Braehead Farm Shotts Road, Fauldhouse
Received 22 Jun 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0286/FUL/97
Erection of 8 semi-detached houses on Plots 1,3,5,7,9,11,29 & 31
Eastwood Park, Fauldhouse
Received 25 Apr 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0286/FUL/95
Erection of a conservatory
21 St. Helens Place, Armadale, EH48 3EX
Received 4 May 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0286/FUL/94
Upgrading existing works with the provision of an additonal primary settlement tank and additional Biological filter
Armadale Sewage Treatment Works Birkenshaw Farm Road, Armadale
Received 20 Apr 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0286/FUL/93
Extension to house
10 West Muir Road, West Calder
Received 11 May 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0509/FUL/93
Erection of garage, extension to house and erection of boundary retaining wall
132 Belvedere Road, Bathgate
Received 22 Jul 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0509/FUL/92
Erection of a garage
Standhill Farm , Bathgate
Received 15 Jul 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0508/A/95
Erection of fascia signs
34 West Main Street, Whitburn
Received 17 Jul 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0508/FUL/96
Erection of 57 houses and associated works
Murieston South 1E , Livingston
Received 17 Jun 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0508/FUL/94
Erection of a conservatory
67 Queens Gardens, East Calder, EH53 Oeg
Received 8 Jul 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0421/FUL/94
Erection of a house
Hillview Cathlaw Lane, Torphichen
Received 10 Jun 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