Find an application near an address
Search a postcode or street, move to the property on the map, then narrow the results by date and application type.
Read the search guideHow to search and track planning applications with Plota
Learn how to search and filter UK planning applications, understand the information on an application record, track a proposal, and create alerts for the places you care about.
You can use the guide in order, or jump straight to the task you need.
Plota collects planning applications from 393 UK councils and normalises them into one consistent, searchable record.
Every council publishes planning data in its own format, on its own website. Plota brings those records together, categorises them by application type, and checks for updates daily. Plota is separate from the Planning Portal and from local council planning portals: every application links to the relevant council record, which remains the official source for documents, deadlines, comments, and decisions.
Before you begin
What you can find with Plota
Plota brings together current and historic planning applications published by local authorities across the UK. Coverage spans 393 planning authorities, with an archive of over 10 million past applications going back to 2016. You can search by postcode, street, town, council, application reference, or description, then explore results on a map and filter them by application type and date.
- 01Search in several ways
Use a place, council, reference number, or words from a proposal. - 02Explore current and historic records
Use the map, result list, dates, and application-type filters. - 03Checked daily
Plota checks council sources daily, although a record cannot appear until the authority has published it.
01 Search and filter
How to search and filter planning applications
Start with an address, place, reference, or description, then narrow the results.
Search by postcode, street, town, council, planning application reference, or words from the proposal description. Plota connects the result list to the map, so you can understand both the record and its location.
- 1Enter your search
Use a full postcode for a precise area, a street or town for a wider view, or a council name to browse one authority.
- 2Search by planning reference
Paste the application reference into the search when you already know it. This is often the quickest route to one specific record.
- 3Move around the map
Pan and zoom to change the visible area. Markers group together at wider zoom levels and separate as you move closer.
- 4Apply filters
Limit results by date and application type, such as extensions, new homes, listed buildings, trees, or change of use.
Useful tip: filtered searches update the page URL, so you can bookmark a useful view or send it to somebody else.
02 Understand a record
How to understand a planning application
Check the record before deciding what matters.
Open a marker or result to see the information Plota has collected from the council. Depending on the application, this can include its proposal, status, key dates, progress, decision, documents, applicant details, and case officer.
- 1Confirm the basic details
Check the address, proposal description, application reference, planning authority, and current status.
- 2Review dates and progress
Look for the validation date, consultation deadline, target decision date, and any recorded decision.
- 3Read the available documents
Plans, statements, reports, and consultation material provide more detail than the short proposal description.
- 4Verify important information
Follow the council record link for the latest documents, deadlines, formal comments, and decisions.
03 Track an application
How to track a planning application
Follow one proposal without repeating the same search.
Tracking is for an individual application. It is separate from an area alert, which watches for newly published applications within a chosen boundary.
- 1Open the application
Find the record through search, the map, or a direct application link.
- 2Select Track application
Use the tracking control on the application page to save that individual proposal.
- 3Choose the updates you need
Follow status changes, a recorded decision, or new documents where those options are available.
- 4Manage tracked records
Review or stop tracking from your saved areas and applications dashboard.
Tracking or alerts? Track one known application. Create an area alert when you want to hear about new applications published around a location.
04 Create planning alerts
How to create a planning application alert
Choose exactly where you want Plota to watch.
Alerts save you from repeating the same search. You can monitor a postcode, radius, council, or custom area, filter by application type, then choose how often you want to hear about newly published applications.
- 1Open Get alerts
Start from the navigation or from the map after finding the area you care about.
- 2Select the area type
Use a standard area for speed, or choose a custom boundary when a circle or whole council is too broad.
- 3Draw and refine
Paint the relevant hexagons, erase places you do not need, and include separate patches where necessary.
- 4Filter by application type
Plota classifies every application into types such as extensions, new homes, and change of use. Pick only the types you want, or leave the alert open to everything.
- 5Choose the email frequency
Select daily, weekly, or fortnightly updates. Alert emails include an unsubscribe option.
Useful tip: custom areas work well for conservation areas, village edges, development sites, school catchments, and streets where a fixed radius would include too much.
Understanding Plota’s planning data
Plota brings council-published planning information into a consistent search and monitoring experience. It makes records easier to find, but it does not replace the authority’s official record.
- Planning Authority Score: for English councils, the score summarises historical authority-level statistics such as approval rates, decision times, and time extensions.
- Where records come from: application information is collected from local authority planning sources.
- How current it is: Plota checks council sources daily, but a record cannot appear before the relevant authority publishes it.
- What to verify: check the council record for documents, consultation deadlines, comments, and formal decisions.
- What the score cannot do: it provides council-level context and does not predict the outcome of an individual application.
The quickest route to what you need
These are the most common journeys through Plota.
Search by planning reference
Paste a known council application reference into search to find the matching record more quickly.
See reference searchingReceive alerts for an area
Choose a postcode, radius, council, or custom boundary, then select how often Plota should email you.
Read the alerts guideComment on an application
Open the Plota record, follow its council link, check the consultation deadline, and use the authority’s official process.
See the commenting stepsFrequently asked questions
Practical answers about searching, references, alerts, tracking, council records, and the Planning Portal.
Contact PlotaUse Plota’s search to enter a postcode, street, town, council, planning application reference, or words from the proposal description. You can then move around the map and filter results by date and application type.
Yes. Paste the council’s application reference into the search. References vary between authorities, so use the complete reference where possible.
Check the spelling, postcode, application reference, date range, and active filters. The council may not have published or validated the application yet, or its planning system may be temporarily unavailable or behind.
Plota checks council planning sources daily. New or changed information can only appear after the relevant authority publishes it, and important details should always be verified against the council record.
No. Plota is not affiliated with the Planning Portal. Plota helps you search and monitor planning applications published by local authorities across the UK. Each application links to the relevant council planning portal, which remains the official source for documents, deadlines, comments, and formal decisions.
Councils have no shared standard for describing what an application proposes: each authority labels its applications in its own way, so the raw records cannot be filtered or compared like for like. Plota adds that layer, assigning every application a consistent type such as extensions, new homes, change of use, listed building consent, tree works, or commercial development. Checked against a hand-classified sample, the classification is over 99% accurate, and it powers the type filters in search and alerts.
Choose a postcode, a radius around your home, a council, or a custom-drawn area, then select a daily, weekly, or fortnightly email. Plota will notify you about newly published applications that match the saved area.
Yes. Open the application page and select Track application. Tracking follows one known proposal, while an area alert watches for newly published applications around a location.
Yes. Application pages show the outcome, a progress timeline from received to decision, key dates including the comment deadline, and the application’s documents grouped by type, each linking to the file on the council register. Pages are re-checked automatically so decisions and new documents appear shortly after the council publishes them.
Searching, browsing, and setting up planning alerts are currently free, supported by Plota’s commercial API, which gives businesses programmatic access to the same normalised data.
No. It summarises historical authority-level statistics and provides context. It does not predict or assess the likely outcome of an individual planning application.
Try searching for a location
Enter an address, postcode, street, town, or council, then use the map and filters to understand what is happening there.
How to comment on an application