For over two decades, submitting a planning application has largely meant one thing: navigating a single platform, following a process that hasn't fundamentally changed, and hoping your application doesn't land in the 30-40% that get returned for avoidable errors.

Today, that changes. Introducing Planda Portal, a modern, AI-powered planning application submission platform built for applicants, planning professionals, and local authorities alike - launching Monday 16th.

Why We Built Planda Portal

The UK planning system is under pressure. Councils are stretched. Applicants are frustrated. And the technology connecting them hasn't kept pace with the complexity of the process it serves.

We saw an opportunity not just to build another portal, but to rethink how planning applications are submitted, validated, and tracked, from start to decision.

Planda Portal isn't a workaround or a wrapper. It's a full submission platform that connects directly to local planning authorities, delivers applications via standard 1APP feeds into council back-office systems, and introduces something the current system doesn't offer: AI-powered validation when you submit.

What Makes Planda Portal Different

Checks Your Application Before It Reaches the Council

Most planning application validity errors are avoidable. Wrong application type, missing documents, incorrect fees, mislabelled files, these are the issues that cause councils to return applications.

Planda Portal runs a series of validation checks before your application is submitted, covering your documents, application details, and fees. If something isn't right, you'll know before the council does, with clear guidance on what needs fixing. The technology used here is the same that powers Ava, our application validation assistant built for and trusted by councils. It gives applicants greater confidence that their submission aligns with validation requirements before it reaches planning teams.

Tracking and Visibility After Submission

Once your application is submitted, Planda Portal keeps you informed throughout the process. From your dashboard, you can see what documents were submitted in one clear view, the current status of your application, when it was last updated, what the council has said, including emails, requests, and updates and the final decision once it's made. We also provide guidance on what to do after the decision, whether that means next steps or follow-ups, and show nearby and similar applications to give you context and inspiration.

No more chasing councils for updates. No more uncertainty about where things stand.

Give You Planning Context 

We go beyond submission data. We capture decision-level planning data across local authorities, giving applicants and professionals visibility into approval rates, refusal trends, processing times, and local development activity, helping you understand the planning landscape around your site before and during your application.

What's Coming Next

We're transparent about where we are and where we're going. Our roadmap is focused on obtaining deeper, site-specific checks using constraint data such as conservation areas, flood zones, and listed buildings; stronger verification that the chosen application type is correct for the specific site; and closer alignment with how individual councils assess and process applications. The goal is simple: catch more issues before councils see them.

Built for Everyone in the Planning Process

For homeowners and applicants: submit with confidence knowing your application has been checked before it reaches the council. Track progress and decisions from a single dashboard.

For planning agents and architects: less time on administrative corrections, more time on the work that matters. A modern interface, validation, tracking, and a client-pay option that simplifies billing.

For local authorities: validated applications delivered directly into your existing back-office system via 1APP feeds. No new infrastructure. No manual data entry. Fewer applications returned for basic errors, so your officers can focus on decisions rather than admin.

The platform integrates with most major back-office providers and is free for councils.

Get Started

If you're a homeowner, agent, or architect, visit plandaportal.co.uk to learn more.

If you're a local authority, get in touch with our team to learn how onboarding works.