Frequently Asked Questions

Planning Signal is a UK planning application search and monitoring platform. It lets you search 2.3 million planning applications from councils across the UK by postcode, town, or council name. Follow any postcode, town or council, watch the applications that matter to you, and get an email the day something new lands or a status changes. It's used by homeowners, property developers, architects, solicitors, community groups, and anyone who wants to stay informed about planning activity in their area.

Council planning portals only show applications for a single authority, and most don't offer email alerts or map views. Planning Signal searches hundreds of councils at once, plots every result on an interactive map, and emails you the day new applications land. Each application also shows its flood risk, conservation area, listed building and ecology context, so you never have to piece it together yourself. Instead of manually visiting council sites every week, you get everything in one place.

Yes. The Free plan gives you unlimited searches up to 1km, daily email alerts for as many postcodes, towns and councils as you like, and a watched application, with no card needed. Research adds search up to 10km, advanced filters, CSV export and up to 10 filtered alerts. Leads emails you nationwide keyword leads the day councils publish them. Conditions alerts you to the conditions councils attach to decisions in your field. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time.

Planning Signal covers most UK local planning authorities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including metropolitan boroughs, London boroughs, district councils, unitary authorities and national park authorities. You can search by any UK postcode or browse by town name. The pricing page shows live figures for how many councils sent us new applications in the last 30 days. If your area seems missing or out of date, tell us.

A planning application is a formal request to a local council for permission to build something new, alter an existing building, change how a building is used, or carry out certain types of development. Most significant building work in the UK requires planning permission. Applications are submitted to the local planning authority (usually the district or borough council), which then assesses the proposal against local and national planning policies before making a decision.

The main statuses are: Pending (also called Undecided) - the application has been submitted and is awaiting a decision from the council. Permitted (also called Approved) - the council has granted planning permission, possibly with conditions. Refused (also called Rejected) - the council has declined the application. Withdrawn - the applicant has pulled the application before a decision was made, often to resubmit a revised version. Applications can also go to Appeal if the applicant challenges a refusal.

Councils have target timeframes set by the government: 8 weeks for straightforward (minor) applications, 13 weeks for major applications, and 16 weeks for applications that require an Environmental Impact Assessment. In practice, many applications take longer due to requests for additional information, negotiations between the applicant and council, or high workloads. Some complex or controversial applications can take several months or even years.

When a planning application is submitted, the council is required to publicise it and invite comments from neighbours and the public. The standard consultation period is 21 days from the date the notice is published. During this time, anyone can submit comments (often called representations) supporting or objecting to the proposal. It's important to respond within the 21-day window, as late comments may not be considered.

To object to a planning application, you need to submit a written representation to the local council during the 21-day consultation period. Your objection should be based on material planning considerations - these include things like impact on neighbouring properties, traffic and parking, design and appearance, loss of light or privacy, noise, and whether it's consistent with local planning policy. Personal opinions, loss of property value, or disputes with the applicant are not considered valid planning grounds. You can usually submit objections via the council's planning portal, by email, or by letter.

Permitted development rights allow certain types of building work to be carried out without needing to submit a formal planning application. Common examples include small rear extensions, loft conversions within certain size limits, outbuildings, fences under 2 metres, and solar panels. However, permitted development rights can be restricted in conservation areas, for listed buildings, in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and through conditions known as Article 4 Directions. Always check with your local council before assuming permitted development applies.

Planning permission controls what you can build, where, and how it looks - it's about the use and appearance of land and buildings. Building regulations control how the building work is carried out - they set standards for structural safety, fire safety, energy efficiency, ventilation, drainage, and accessibility. You may need both for a project: planning permission to approve the principle of the development, and building regulations approval to ensure the construction meets safety standards. Some work needs only one or the other, and some needs both.

Enter your postcode into the search bar on Planning Signal and choose a search radius (500m to 10km depending on your plan). Results appear instantly, plotted on an interactive map with status filters so you can see pending, permitted, refused, and withdrawn applications separately. You can also search by town name or browse by council. Each result links directly to the full application details on the council's own website.

Search for the property's postcode on Planning Signal and look through the results for the specific address. You can use the text search filter (available on Research and above) to search by address or reference number. Each application shows its current status - Permitted, Refused, Pending, or Withdrawn - along with the decision date and full description. For a complete planning history of a specific property, you may also want to check the council's planning portal directly, as some older records may predate digital systems.

The Free plan includes 500m and 1km radii. Research, Leads and Conditions all extend this to up to 10km. Larger radii are useful for property developers researching areas, professionals monitoring multiple sites, and anyone who wants a broader view of planning activity in their neighbourhood or region.

Follow a postcode, town or council and Planning Signal checks it every day. When new applications land there, or an application you watch changes status, you get one email that day, and nothing on days when there is nothing new. Prefer a weekly round-up? Switch to weekly in your account. Pause or remove any alert from the link in every email.

Watching an application means Planning Signal will monitor it for changes and alert you when something happens - for example, when a decision is made, conditions are added, an appeal is lodged, or the status changes for any reason. This is useful for tracking specific developments you care about, such as a proposed extension next door or a major development near your home.

New applications reach you the day councils publish them. Undecided applications are checked every night, so decisions, appeals and amendments show up fast.

From the councils themselves. Every application links straight back to the council's own published record, so you can open the original plans and documents in one click. Each one also shows its flood risk, conservation area, listed building and ecology context.

For every application, Planning Signal shows whether the site sits in a flood risk zone, a conservation area, near a listed building or inside an ecological designation such as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. You see the constraints that shape the decision, and the conditions likely to come with it, before you open a single document.

We cover most local planning authorities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you need coverage for a specific area, get in touch and we'll let you know.

Every time a planning application is submitted or approved in your area, that's a homeowner or developer who needs professional help to build. Planning Signal matches new applications to your trade and service area, then emails them to you as councils publish them. The Leads plan includes full lead details: the applicant, site address, agent firm and business contact, plus a pipeline to track which leads you've contacted, quoted and won. Leads is £49 + VAT a month and you can cancel any time.

Conditions is a separate plan for specialist consultants, such as ecology, trees, drainage, landscape, transport and acoustics. Instead of matching new applications, it reads decisions: when a council imposes a condition matching your phrases (for example 'bat survey' or 'drainage scheme') or your discipline, we email you the condition text with a link to the application. It's not included in Leads.

Search for your company in our Architects or Contractors directory. If your business appears, click through to your profile page and use the 'Claim this profile' button. Once verified, you can update your description, add specialisations, and link your website. Claimed profiles appear higher in directory results and show a verified badge.

Our directory lists over 25,000 architectural practices and 60,000+ builders and trades across the UK. Each profile shows the firm's accreditations (such as RIBA, ARB, FMB, NHBC, TrustMark and NICEIC, where it holds them), its reviews and its planning application history. Homeowners use it to find the right architect or builder near them.

One job from a planning lead can cover months of subscription. Leads costs less than a single skip hire. If you work in an area with regular planning approvals for extensions, loft conversions, or new builds, you'll see relevant leads every week. The free plan lets you see lead counts by area before you commit.

Research is for researching planning yourself: up to 10km search radius, advanced filters, up to 10 filtered alerts, 20 watched applications, and CSV export of results by postcode, town or whole council. Leads is done-for-you lead generation: nationwide keyword alerts emailed daily as councils publish matching applications, with full lead details and a pipeline to track them. Conditions is for specialist consultants: alerts on decision-notice conditions by phrase or discipline. Research is for going looking; Leads brings the work to you; Conditions watches the decisions in your field.

Yes. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings. When you upgrade, you get immediate access to the new features. When you downgrade, the change takes effect at the end of your current billing period. There are no lock-in contracts or cancellation fees.

Yes. All paid plans are available on monthly or yearly billing. Yearly billing gives you 2 months free - you pay for 10 months and get 12. That's a 17% saving compared to paying monthly. You can switch between monthly and yearly billing at any time.

Nothing is deleted. Your alerts for postcodes, towns and councils keep running free on every plan. Filtered alerts, keyword alerts and watched applications beyond your new plan's allowance are paused, and switch back on when you upgrade again.

You can cancel any time from your account and keep your plan until the end of the period you have paid for. Part-used billing periods are not refunded, as our terms of service set out.