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 · 28,889 approved or refused records
2,544Refused applications
26,345 approved · 2,544 refused · 1,684 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 6 Jan 1992 to 4 Nov 2026. Most recent record check: 9 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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0033/FUL/95
Change of use of open space to garden ground
Plot 1 Redmill Court, East Whitburn
Received 24 Jan 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0033/FUL/94
Proposed dormers
Birkenhill Edinburgh Road, Linlithgow, EH49 6QT
Received 25 Jan 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0033/FUL/93
Erection of a house
Site At West Main Street, Blackburn
Received 25 Jan 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0033/FUL/92
Erection of a car port and garage
23 Russell Avenue, Armadale, EH48 3QB
Received 22 Jan 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0032/FUL/97
Erection of a house
The Beeches West Main Street, Armadale
Received 22 Jan 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0032/FUL/96
Proposed operation of speedway motorcycle racing
Armadale Stadium, Bathgate Road, Armadale
Received 17 Jan 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0032/FUL/95
Proposed erection of a house
Plot 2 Brushwood Ridge, Torphichen
Received 23 Jan 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0032/FUL/94
Change of use from public house to function suite (class 16)
44 Jarvey Street, Bathgate
Received 21 Jan 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0045/LBC/97
Listed Building Consent and planning permission for installation of new shop front
234 High Street, Linlithgow
Received 27 Jan 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0045/LBC/94
Listed Building Consent and planning permission for disabled ramps
Recreation Hall And Nurses Home Bangour Village Hospital, Dechmont, EH52 6LR
Received 28 Jan 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0045/H/96
Erection of a conservatory
Hetherlea Cathlaw Road, Torphichen
Received 25 Jan 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0045/FUL/95
Proposed erection of 29 houses and 13 flats
Rowan Street, Blackburn
Received 26 Jan 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0045/FUL/93
External alterations to shop premises
57/63 South Bridge Street, Bathgate
Received 27 Jan 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0045/FUL/92
Application for the approval of reserved matters for a chalet development
Craigs Chalet Park Williamcraigs, Linlithgow
Received 27 Jan 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0067/FUL/92
Installation of a dormer window
14 Torbane Drive, East Whitburn
Received 4 Feb 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0066/M/95
Proposed tipping of inert waste material
South Of B7066 , Greenrigg
Received 3 Feb 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0066/A/97
Erection of 3 no. 6m high flag poles
2 Fraser Road, Livingston, EH54 7BU
Received 6 Feb 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0066/FUL/96
Installation of roller shutters
11/13 South Street, Armadale
Received 1 Feb 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0066/FUL/94
Erection of a house
Plot 1 Polkemmet Lane, Harthill
Received 9 Feb 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0058/FUL/95
Erection of a garage
4 Craigs Court, Torphichen
Received 1 Feb 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0058/FUL/94
Change of use from barn and outbuildings to house
Plot 2 Newhouse Farm, West Calder
Received 3 Feb 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0058/FUL/93
Amendment to existing planning permission
Plot 21 Raeburn Park, Polbeth
Received 2 Feb 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0058/FUL/92
Change of use of public open space to private garden
24,25,44 And 45 Avonmill View, Linlithgow Bridge
Received 30 Jan 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0057/P/97
Outline planning permission for the conversion and redevelopment of land and buildings at Bangour Village Hospital
3 -, Bangour, Dechmont
Received 29 Jan 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 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