Why we exist
Somebody applied to build next to you. Would you have known?
Planning is public. Every application is on a council website, if you know which one, and when to look, and what the words mean. Telnwa reads the registers so you do not have to, and tells you what they say.
- Decided applications read
- 4,472
- from 68 councils, last two years
- Lowest and highest approval rate
- 66% to 96%
- Oadby and Wigston Borough and West Suffolk
- All councils we read
- 89%
- of scheme decisions approved
Where a site is changes the odds and the wait. The record is public, and each pain below is set against it.
What these figures count. Approval rates and decision times cover decisions on schemes only: an application that was approved or refused. Tree-work notices, discharge of conditions, minor amendments, certificates of lawfulness, prior approvals, advertisement consents, pre-application advice and screening opinions are left out, because they are not a yes or no on a scheme. We still hold them and they still appear in search. Withdrawn and unclear outcomes are not counted. The figures describe a council's record over the last two years. They do not predict a single application.
Registered this month
Real filings, as the councils published them.
Oldham · 4 days ago
extensions and alterations
Single storey rear extension - Length: 4.9 m Maximum height: 3.7 m Height to eaves: 2.3m
28 Grampian Way Shaw Oldham OL2 7RB
Oldham figures →Lichfield · 4 days ago
changes of use
Change of use and erection of two storey extension to office building to form a single dwelling with the creation of external amenity space and off road parking
Home Farm House Church Road Elford Tamworth Staffordshire B79 9DA
Lichfield figures →Rossendale · 17 days ago
extensions and alterations
External alterations to the facade including new windows and doors.
Wavell House Holcombe Road Helmshore Rossendale Lancashire
Rossendale figures →
Anyone with a site next to one of these would have wanted to hear about it the day it was registered, not weeks later. That is the email we send.
These are 30 things people have told us they cannot find out. Each one has a scene, what we do about it, and where to see it. Where we only do part of it, we say so.
FreePro, £5 a monthPartly covered13 of 30 are Pro. What each plan holds →
Property investors and small developers
You are about to put real money into a site.
A planning surprise costs thousands. The register is public. The trouble is that nobody reads it for you.
01
“I find out about a competing scheme next door too late.”
You complete on a plot of flats. Three weeks later a 40-home scheme is approved two streets away. It was registered the month you were viewing.
What we do. Alerts for a postcode and radius. We email when an application appears nearby, and again when it is decided.
In our data
181 in 90 days
181 applications were registered in Oldham in the last 90 days. The most common kind was extensions and alterations (71). Every one of them was public.
See Oldham →02
“I do not know if my application will be approved.”
Your architect says "should be fine". You would like a number, and to know how many decisions it rests on.
What we do. The council's own record for this kind of scheme: share approved, typical days, and the sample behind each figure. Where we hold too little history, we say so.
In our data
30 points apart
In the last two years Oadby and Wigston approved 66% of 111 scheme decisions and West Suffolk approved 96% of 53. Across every council we read it is 89%.
See every council →03
“I do not know how long the council will take.”
Every extra week is interest on the loan. The statutory 8 weeks is a target. What does this council actually do?
What we do. Typical days from validation to decision for each council, set against the average across the councils we read.
In our data
44 to 91 days
From validation to decision, the typical wait is 44 days at North Somerset and 91 days at Brentwood.
Compare councils →04
“I cannot see what else is happening around a site.”
The agent shows you a quiet street. The register shows three live applications within 500 metres.
What we do. Every application within 500 metres, with its stage and what it proposes.
The count is free; the list is Pro.
In our data
181 in 90 days
181 applications were registered in Oldham in the last 90 days. The most common kind was extensions and alterations (71). Every one of them was public.
See Oldham →Pro: £5 a monthSite check →05
“I miss the moment an application is decided.”
The decision came on a Tuesday. You heard about it on a Friday, from someone else.
What we do. Follow any application and we email you when its status changes.
In our data
219 decided in 90 days
219 applications were decided at Oldham in the last 90 days. Each one changed status on the register the day it was decided.
See Oldham →06
“I check many councils' sites by hand.”
Five councils, five different portals, five different layouts. Your Sunday is gone.
What we do. One place for the councils whose registers we read.
About 75 councils today, and the list grows. We will not pretend to cover a council we do not.
In our data
68 councils
4,472 decided scheme applications from the last two years, read from 68 councils' registers and held in one place.
Where we cover →Partly coveredWhere we cover →07
“I cannot see how a site has been treated before.”
It looks like a clean plot. It was refused 14 months ago, resubmitted, and refused again.
What we do. Every past application on the site, with refusals and resubmissions flagged.
Pro: £5 a monthSee an example council →08
“I do not know which agents win approvals.”
Two agents quote you. One has a record at this council. The other has never been through it.
What we do. Agents with a record of approvals in your area, and the record behind each application's agent.
Pro: £5 a monthLead finder →09
“I cannot find similar approved schemes nearby as evidence.”
The bank asks why a fourth storey will be accepted. "Because I think so" is not an answer.
What we do. Approved schemes of a similar kind within 2 km over the last five years, ranked by how alike they are.
In our data
132 decided
Oldham: 132 decided extensions and alterations applications in the last two years, with the outcome and the council's own wording for each. That is the pool a precedent comes from.
See Oldham →Pro: £5 a monthOpen an application →10
“I need all of this in a spreadsheet for investors or the bank.”
You retype eleven applications into a spreadsheet the night before the meeting.
What we do. CSV export of any search, and a printable report for a single application.
Pro: £5 a monthFind applications →
Homeowners and landlords
You own the house, the flat, or a handful of tenancies.
You feel it hardest when it surprises you. You will not check a council site every week. You should not have to.
01
“A neighbour's scheme appeared and I had no warning.”
The scaffolding goes up and you learn there was a notice on a lamppost nine weeks ago.
What we do. A free alert for your postcode. An email, as it is registered.
In our data
181 in 90 days
181 applications were registered in Oldham in the last 90 days. The most common kind was extensions and alterations (71). Every one of them was public.
See Oldham →02
“I missed the date to comment.”
You have strong views. You have, as it turns out, no remaining time to share them.
What we do. The last day for comments on each application, read from the council's own page, with a guide to what counts.
The date is shown where the council publishes it. A reminder email before it closes is being switched on.
Partly coveredCreate an alert →03
“I cannot follow the planning jargon.”
"Prior approval", "Class MA", "the proposal would result in demonstrable harm". You need to know if it is a shed.
What we do. The proposal in plain terms (how big, how many homes, which side) and a glossary of the jargon, each read from the application's own wording.
04
“I cannot tell if it affects my light, privacy or value.”
Three storeys, rear-facing, 12 metres from your garden. You are not sure what to ask about.
What we do. The size facts from the application, and the points this council most often cites when it refuses schemes like it. We do not judge the impact for you.
We show the facts and the council's record. We do not say whether it will affect your property.
Partly coveredSee refusal reasons →05
“Is it likely to be approved?”
You are deciding whether to object or to make your peace.
What we do. The council's record for this kind of scheme. It describes how the council has behaved. It does not predict this application.
In our data
30 points apart
In the last two years Oadby and Wigston approved 66% of 111 scheme decisions and West Suffolk approved 96% of 53. Across every council we read it is 89%.
See every council →06
“When will a decision come?”
Weeks pass. Nobody tells you whether this is slow or normal.
What we do. A decision countdown from the council's own deadline, and an email when the status changes.
In our data
44 to 91 days
From validation to decision, the typical wait is 44 days at North Somerset and 91 days at Brentwood.
Compare councils →07
“I do not know how to object, or what counts.”
You write four furious paragraphs about the view. The officer is only allowed to weigh certain things.
What we do. A short guide to how to comment, what carries weight and what does not, linked to the council's own form.
FreeSee a council →08
“I cannot see the actual plans.”
The description says "alterations". You want to see the drawings.
What we do. The documents the council lists for each application, named and linked, with the council's record one click away.
Some councils keep documents behind their own portal. Where they do, we link to the record.
Partly coveredOpen an application →09
“Was this refused before, and will it come back?”
The same scheme was refused last year. It is back with a different drawing number.
What we do. The history of the site, with refusals and resubmissions flagged.
Pro: £5 a monthOpen an application →10
“I want to watch several properties.”
The house, the rental in Leeds, the flat you are thinking of buying.
What we do. Up to 50 alerts on Pro, each with its own postcode, radius and keywords. Five on the free plan.
Pro: £5 a monthPricing →
Architects and agents
You win work by knowing first and knowing more.
You want the lead before the competition does, and the precedent before the client asks.
01
“I cannot find new projects to pitch for.”
Someone has just applied. They have not named an agent. You will never know unless you look.
What we do. New applications in your patch by type and size, flagged where no agent is named.
Pro: £5 a monthLead finder →02
“I do not know who is winning in my area.”
A competitor keeps appearing on approvals. You want to see their record, not their website.
What we do. Which agents are winning approvals in your patch over the last two years.
Pro: £5 a monthLead finder →03
“I need precedents for a design and access statement.”
The statement is due Friday. The council's own site cannot filter by "approved, similar, within a mile".
What we do. Similar approved schemes nearby over five years, ranked and ready to cite.
In our data
132 decided
Oldham: 132 decided extensions and alterations applications in the last two years, with the outcome and the council's own wording for each. That is the pool a precedent comes from.
See Oldham →Pro: £5 a monthOpen an application →04
“What is this council's attitude to my kind of scheme?”
Your client asks how this council treats rear extensions. You say "generally fine". You would like a number.
What we do. Share approved and typical days for this council, by kind of scheme, against the national figure.
In our data
37 points apart
For extensions and alterations, Oadby and Wigston approved 63% of 62 and Mansfield approved 100% of 25. Same kind of scheme, different council.
See each council by kind →05
“I need timing to tell the client.”
"When will we hear?" is the first question, every time.
What we do. The council's decision deadline, a countdown, and the typical days for this council.
In our data
44 to 91 days
From validation to decision, the typical wait is 44 days at North Somerset and 91 days at Brentwood.
Compare councils →06
“I need to know when my client's application is decided.”
You find out when the client rings you.
What we do. Follow the application. We email on any status change.
In our data
219 decided in 90 days
219 applications were decided at Oldham in the last 90 days. Each one changed status on the register the day it was decided.
See Oldham →07
“I want the reasons officers give for refusal.”
Before you redesign, you want to know exactly what the council objected to nearby.
What we do. The reasons for refusal read from decision notices, grouped by theme for each council.
Where the council publishes its decision notice.
Pro: £5 a monthSee a council's refusal reasons →08
“I want refused schemes nearby that may come back.”
A refused scheme means an owner who still wants to build and now needs help.
What we do. Refused schemes in your patch that could be resubmitted, with the reasons.
Pro: £5 a monthLead finder →09
“I need something to put in front of clients.”
A screenshot of a council portal does not look like a service.
What we do. A printable report for any application, with your name and the client's.
Pro: £5 a monthOpen an application →10
“I work across several councils.”
Your clients are in three boroughs. Your tabs are in twelve.
What we do. The same view of each council we read, set against the others.
About 75 councils today. We list every one and say which we do not read yet.
In our data
68 councils
4,472 decided scheme applications from the last two years, read from 68 councils' registers and held in one place.
Where we cover →Partly coveredWhere we cover →
Before you ask
Questions people ask first
- What is Telnwa Property Intelligence?
- A planning-alert service for UK property people. Pick a postcode and we email you when a planning application appears nearby and again when it is decided. Each council has a public page showing how often it approves, how long it takes, and how many decisions each figure rests on.
- Where does the data come from?
- The councils' own public planning registers, and the government's open planning data for site constraints such as conservation areas and flood zones. We say how many decisions each figure rests on, and we publish no rate for a council where we hold too little history.
- What does it cost?
- Free for five alerts within 5 km. Pro is £5 a month for 50 alerts, up to 50 km, the full lists behind every figure, and CSV export.
- Can it tell me whether my application will be approved?
- No. It shows how a council has treated schemes of that kind, and how many decisions that rests on. A council's past record does not decide a single application.
Five alerts are free. The rest is £5 a month.
Start with the postcode you worry about most.