Pre-application advice

What is pre-application advice?

If you're planning building work, a change of use, or any other development, we offer a pre-application advice service. This is not a legal requirement, but it gives you professional guidance from the Planning Service before you submit a formal application. The service is free.

We aim to give written responses within 20 working days. Agents should make sure their clients are aware of this timescale. Sometimes we need more time, for example if we need further information, a site visit, or due to other workload pressures.

What advice can cover

Advice can be purely practical, such as which form to use, what fee applies, what documents you need to submit, or likely timescales.

More often, advice covers whether your proposed development is likely to be acceptable, whether it meets relevant policies, and what changes might improve its chances. This can help you avoid unnecessary costs with an architect or planning agent.

By requesting advice in writing, you can expect a response that:

• Explains how relevant policies in the Orkney Local Development Plan apply to your proposal
• Flags early on if you need specialist input, for example from Roads Services or Environmental Health
• Identifies information or documents you're likely to need with a formal application, such as a Flood Risk Assessment or tree survey
• May reduce the time it takes to process your formal application
• Tells you if your proposal is unacceptable, so you can avoid the time and cost of a formal application that would likely be refused

Topics we commonly cover

• Policies: the principle of development and relevant planning policies
• Site history: past planning history and specific constraints
• Design: layout, scale, and materials
• Roads: access, parking, public transport, cycle parking, and whether a transport assessment is needed
• Natural heritage: otter or bat surveys, habitat surveys, tree surveys, and designated sites
• Historic and built environment: building surveys, impact on designated sites, and archaeology
• Amenity: noise, lighting, dust, and impact on daylight or sunlight
• Flooding and drainage: surface water management and Flood Risk Assessments

Pre-application advice sometimes includes comments from internal teams, such as Roads Services. It does not usually include advice from external bodies such as Historic Environment Scotland, SEPA, or NatureScot.

Free expert advice from Planning Aid Scotland

Planning Aid Scotland is an educational charity offering free, impartial, and confidential advice on planning matters, whether about your own home or wider issues in your community. Their Advice Service supports members of the public, community groups, and business start-ups through a network of specialist planners, volunteers, and staff.

Things to know before you apply

Pre-application advice is given without prejudice to any later decision on a formal planning application. We aim to give accurate professional advice, but we cannot guarantee to cover every matter that might arise in a formal application, and the Council is not bound by this advice if you go on to submit one. Neighbours and other members of the public also have the right to comment on formal applications, and their input will be fully considered when we make a decision.

You can request advice with basic information or with more detail. The level of detail in our response depends on what you give us, based on the facts of your proposal. The minimum information we need is set out in the Pre-Application Advice form.

Written enquiries should be made using the Pre-Application Advice form. One version can be completed on screen, and another can be printed and filled in by hand.

Before requesting advice, you may want to check whether your proposal needs planning permission on our Permitted Development page.