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UK Property - Planning Applications

(This page was last updated on the 15/07/2025)

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There are not Planning Applications available online for every property in the UK, however it doesn't cost anything to look, and if there are, then there may be an awful lot of really useful information that you can access, for free.

- if you are due to carryout surveillance on a property, then knowing exactly where the property is and where the entrance and exit points are, could be crucial, so you don't miss someone leaving the property
- if you are due to execute a warrant on a property, and are briefing the entry / search team, then knowing the layout / floor plan of a property may be essential
- whilst a planning application doesn't have to be in the name of the owner of the property, it generally is, so it could be a free way of locating the owners details

And even if your subject's property isn't linked to any Planning Applications, it maybe that a neighbouring property has, and its application may help locate your subject's property on a map & Google StreetView etc, or if neighbouring properties are identical in design, then the details of their existing or original layout / floor plan may prove useful.

Generally for the UK, each local council / authority has details about Planning Applications within their own area on their own website, however there are some other sites which may be of interest, including planning.org.uk, which is a site for searching for current & recent UK Planning Applications, and there is also planningsystemni.gov.uk, which is a free government site, offering a searchable database of Northern Ireland properties linked to planning applications.

Every local council / authority in the UK has its own website and although they are all slightly different, most will highlight on its front page the most popular pages and have an A - Z search function somewhere easy to find, so it should be easy to locate the details in relation to Planning Applications within its area. Then go to the section where you can Search Or Comment On A Planning Application. So, as an example, using the known address of the former Prime Minister Liz Truss, of 52 Greenwich South Street, Greenwich, London, SE10 8UN, you can search the address on the local council / authority website.

If you then alter the Search Page to Advanced Search, you can search via a subject's name, to see if they are connected to any Planning Applications in the area, or search via Property, where you can search an address, to see any linked details for a property.

Viewing the most recent Planning Applications may provide the most recent information, but it may be for something quite minor, so don't forget to go back to previous Planning Applications, which may provide more information.

View the linked Documents and actually read them, to find all of the useful details.

Planning Application - the Planning Application form will usually include the owner's details and details about the building works to be undertaken. Most council now redact an applicants contact details and signatures, however their agents details are usually left visible
Site Map / Location Plan - the Site Map or Location Plan is basically the ordnance survey map, showing the position of the property within the street or area
Existing Floor Plans / Elevations - the Existing Floor Plans / Elevations are the architects type drawings of the property, as it is now
Proposed Floor Plan / Elevations - the Proposed Floor Plans / Elevations are the architects type drawings of how the property will look with the linked Planning Application
Officers Report / Decision Notice - there are often Officers Reports or Decision Notices, giving details of the local council / authorities decision, which may contain useful additional information
Neighbours - there is often details from Neighbour's, who may contact the local council / authority with objections or comments about the Planning Application, which may help identify who lives in the neighbouring properties, and may also provide contact details

This information is all publicly available and is used here only as a training aide, to demonstrate the type of additional information which can be freely located about an individual and their property.