Planda Portal can now send planning applications directly into councils' BOPS system, where Local Authorities using the BOPS back-office system can now receive applications directly and automatically. Application data arrives structured, complete, and ready for the planning team to act on from the moment it lands.

This integration took a number of days to implement. 

When an applicant submits through Planda Portal, the data moves automatically into the back-office system for Local Authorities with no administrative lag before casework can commence. 

About BOPS

The Back Office Planning System (BOPS) is a modern digital planning platform developed collaboratively with local authorities as part of the UK government's Open Digital Planning programme, funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Built to help councils process planning applications more efficiently, it represents a new generation of planning infrastructure, one that is data-driven, digitally native, and designed around the way planning teams actually work.

Why it matters 

Manual data transfer between submission and case management is one of the most persistent and costly sources of administrative friction that validation teams face. When an application arrives, on occasions, it has to be opened, checked, and moved into the system where the actual work happens. Repeated across every application, every week, it adds up to a significant amount of officer time spent on administration rather than planning.

For councils already under pressure, managing high application volumes, and growing expectations around processing speed that friction has real consequences. Validation backlogs affect applicants waiting on decisions, agents managing timelines, and developers planning around planning. Anything that reduces the time between receipt and the start of meaningful work on an application matters.

Removing this step through a direct feed with automation reduces the risk of error. When data arrives in a structured and standardised format, it is easier to check completeness, flag missing information early, and build consistent validation workflows around it.

What comes next

This integration sits within a wider movement to modernise how planning works in England. The Open Digital Planning programme, of which BOPS is a central part, has been building the tools and standards needed to make planning more data-driven and less dependent on manual processes. Planda Portal's integration with BOPS is a practical expression of that direction, connecting the submission layer directly to the processing layer, so that data flows rather than gets carried.

It also reflects how we think about our role in the planning system. We are not just a submission platform. We are part of the infrastructure that connects applicants, agents, and councils, and that infrastructure works best when the joins between systems are seamless.

We are in active conversation with other back-office system providers and will share more as further integrations come online. If you are a Local Authority interested in what a connection would look like for your system, get in touch with us here.