Last month was a busy one. We’ve made some big improvements to maps and editing applications, started testing AI form filling with early access users, and made a number of changes behind the scenes to help catch issues earlier in the application process.

The map got better, and users noticed

We ran an experiment on site boundary selection this month and your feedback helped shape what we shipped.

We've improved how boundaries are drawn and auto-selected, and the response has been really encouraging; users are telling us they prefer our mapping tools to others they've used, which is exactly what we want or hear!

Planda Portal Pro (early access)

We're quietly testing AI-assisted form completion with a group of early access users.

If you're part of the group, you'll see an option to fill in your application forms using AI. The goal is simple: get through the paperwork faster, so you can spend more time on the actual application.

Want to try it? Fill in this form or drop us a message and we'll add you to the list.

Always routing to the right authority

LPAs merge, new ones appear, and some sites fall within more than one authority's remit. We've done a lot of work this month to make sure Planda Portal stays on top of all of this, including full support for the Oxford Street Development Corporation, which is now live.

Wherever your site is, you can submit with confidence it's going to the right place.

Edit applications, not PDFs

Edit Applications is now available to all users, and we've made a number of improvements to it this month.

When a council marks your application as invalid, you can fix it directly in Planda Portal. Documents, forms, site address, application type are all editable in one place. 

The council's communications stay visible throughout, so you can see exactly what needs to be addressed. Once you’ve made your changes, you can review everything and resubmit.

No need to tweak your application by printing, annotating or by starting an application from scratch anymore.

Smarter validation, specific to your council

Ava's validation rules are now more personalised to the councils you're submitting to.

We use information about how each local authority has assessed applications to help identify potential issues before you submit. This means the flags you see should be more relevant, helping you fix problems earlier and reducing the chances of being caught out by something at the council stage.

A couple of smaller things

New biodiversity net gain exemptions are now supported in line with the August 2026 regulations. If your project qualifies for an exemption, the relevant options will appear in the BNG section of your form.

Coming up

This month we’re bringing in calendar views for decision due dates, custom tags to help you organise your applications, and a new map tool with some data we think you'll find veryvery useful.

More on all of these soon.

As always, if something isn't working, or there's a feature you've been waiting for, let us know. A lot of what you've read above started as a message from a customer, so keep on sending them and help shape the planning platform you want to use.