Care Home Planning Applications & Development Leads

A 'care home planning application' in our database covers any planning submission for a new or substantially altered residential care facility. This includes traditional care homes for older people, nursing homes, extra care housing schemes (where independent living is combined with on-site care and support), and specialist elderly care developments. We capture applications for purpose-built facilities, conversions of existing buildings into care use, and extensions or material changes of use to existing care homes.

Each application record includes the planning reference, site address, local authority, the application description and scope, application type (full, outline, change of use, etc.), key dates (submission, decision, appeal), decision status, and a direct link to the council's own planning portal. Where local authorities publish agent or applicant details, we include those too—though this varies by council. The application description itself is your window into the project brief: bed numbers, care model, facilities planned, and any special requirements. This is the intelligence that lets you understand what materials, systems, expertise and services the project will need.

Traditionally, care home development leads have been tracked by large, expensive incumbents like Glenigan and Barbour ABI, which charge significant subscription fees and often bundle care home data with thousands of other project types. Their model works well for large contractors with established tender teams, but it leaves smaller and mid-market manufacturers, specialist architects, and niche suppliers paying for noise they don't need.

Planning Signal exists because councils publish planning applications openly—and because the earliest, cheapest way to win work is to engage when the project is still being designed, not when it's being tendered. We focus exclusively on planning data: the moment a care home application is published, you're alerted. You can then reach out to the developer, architect or care operator with relevant expertise, case studies and ideas. You're not bidding against a pre-selected list; you're helping shape the project from the start. That's a fundamentally different—and more profitable—sales motion.

Planning Signal sends you regular email alerts whenever a new care home planning application is published in your chosen regions. Each alert includes the key project details: location, applicant, care model, bed count (if stated), and a direct link to the council record. You can filter by local authority, application type, or project scale, so you only see opportunities relevant to your business.

Our data is sourced directly from local authority planning portals across the UK, so it's current and accurate. Because we focus on the planning stage—not construction tenders—you're seeing projects weeks or months before they appear on Glenigan or Barbour. That head start is crucial. You can contact the architect or developer, understand their brief, propose solutions, and build relationships before the tender process locks you out. For manufacturers of care home furniture, fittings, technology and specialist systems; for architects and design consultants; and for contractors and MEP specialists, this is where the real opportunity lies.