Orkney Council approves 96.0% of planning applications, based on 7,933 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Orkney sits 8.1 percentage points above the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Orkney.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 7,615 | 318 | 7,933 | 96.0% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Mainland | 1,557 | 75 | 1,632 | 95.4% |
| East Mainland, South Ronaldsay & Burray | 1,340 | 63 | 1,403 | 95.5% |
| Kirkwall West & Orphir | 1,312 | 48 | 1,360 | 96.5% |
| North Isles | 1,161 | 27 | 1,188 | 97.7% |
| Stromness & South Isles | 1,126 | 49 | 1,175 | 95.8% |
| Kirkwall East | 1,046 | 52 | 1,098 | 95.3% |
Real residential planning decisions from Orkney council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/050/CLOPUD West Mainland | Extend a house | Approved |
| 26/036/PN Kirkwall West & Orphir | Install a 2.5 metre tower extension, nine antennas, 15 RFFs, and ancillary devel | Approved |
| 25/435/APN West Mainland | Erect a GP shed | Approved |
| 25/431/HH East Mainland, South Ronaldsay & Burray | Extend a house | Approved |
| 25/426/HH West Mainland | Extend house and garage | Approved |
| 25/421/PP West Mainland | Erect a shed and install a ground mounted solar array | Approved |
| 25/417/HH Kirkwall West & Orphir | Re-roof a house and alter roof pitch | Approved |
| 25/418/HH Kirkwall West & Orphir | Re-roof a house and alterations to roof pitch | Approved |
| 25/397/PP West Mainland | Erect a general purpose shed | Approved |
| 25/381/LB Stromness & South Isles | Remove rooflights and install six replacement rooflights, form openings and inst | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Orkney's 7,933 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Dig deeper into Orkney's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 7,933 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Orkney is 96.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 7,933 planning decisions from Orkney council. 7,615 were approved and 318 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Orkney is 96.0%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.