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26,345 approved · 2,544 refused · 1,684 withdrawn.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 Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.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/0023/FUL/92
Erection of house
The Stables Pumpherston Road, Mid Calder
Received 15 Jan 1992 - UnknownLIVE/0022/P/94
Retail units (inc foodstore) and public car park
- Whitburn Road, Bathgate Retail Park, Bathgate, EH48 2HP
Received 18 Jan 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0022/H/97
Erection of a conservatory
12 Back Station Road, Linlithgow, EH49 6AB
Received 20 Jan 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0022/FUL/96
Demolition of houses
105,107,109 West Main Street, Broxburn
Received 12 Jan 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0022/FUL/95
Proposed extension
61 Avontoun Park, Linlithgow
Received 17 Jan 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0022/FUL/93
Part change of use from offices to 3 shops and offices
14 Glasgow Road, Bathgate
Received 19 Jan 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0022/FUL/92
Erection of a detached house
Old Nursery Site West Main Street, Uphall
Received 15 Jan 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0021/P/94
Outline planning permission for erection of 2 houses
Site At Cleuchbrae, West Calder
Received 18 Jan 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0021/H/96
Erection of a garage
119 Spottiswood Gardens, Mid Calder
Received 12 Jan 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0017/FUL/92
Extension to house
Forthview Cottage, Balmuir Bridge, New Road, Bathgate, EH48 4LG
Received 15 Jan 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0016/P/96
Outline planning permission for change of use from shop to cafe and hot food take-away
1 Marrfield Terrace, Uphall Station
Received 10 Jan 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0016/H/97
Erection of a Pigeon Loft
88 Cousland Crescent, Seafield
Received 13 Jan 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0003/FUL/95
Erection of a garage
40 Loanfoot Road, Uphall, EH52 6DJ
Received 4 Jan 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0003/FUL/94
Change of use from public open space to private garden ground and erection of a garage
197 Riddochhill Road, Blackburn
Received 6 Jan 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0003/FUL/93
Extension to house
23 Dovecot Park, Linlithgow, EH49 7LH
Received 6 Jan 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0003/FUL/92
Construction of industrial and commercial building units, road, hardstanding and landscape
Latchburn, Whitburn Road, Blackburn
Received 7 Jan 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0002/H/96
Extension to house
23 Caroline Park, Mid Calder
Received 4 Jan 1996 - DecidedLIVE/0002/FUL/97
Conversion of farm steading to form house
- South Couston Farm, Bathgate
Received 7 Jan 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0002/FUL/95
Extension to house
15 Strathavon Terrace, Westfield, EH48 3DD
Received 4 Jan 1995 - DecidedLIVE/0002/FUL/94
Erection of a house and garage
Old Clapperton Hall Cottages , Broxburn, EH52 5PE
Received 6 Jan 1994 - DecidedLIVE/0002/FUL/93
Engineering operations to partially infill and alter Ballencrieff Reservoir No. 2 for use as a sport fishery
- Ballencrieff Reservoir No. 2, Bathgate
Received 5 Jan 1993 - DecidedLIVE/0002/FUL/92
Erection of 2 houses and garages
Eastfield Road Fauldhouse West Lothian
Received 6 Jan 1992 - DecidedLIVE/0001/FUL/97
Installation of ATM cash machine
Polbeth Filling Station Kilmarnock Road, Polbeth
Received 7 Jan 1997 - DecidedLIVE/0001/FUL/96
Proposed erection of a shop
Hens Nest Road, East Whitburn
Received 4 Jan 1996
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