What is the Planning Portal and what does it do?

The Planning Portal is the official online service for submitting planning applications in England. It collects your form, drawings, and payment, then routes everything to the correct council. It makes no decisions about your extension itself.

Is the Planning Portal the same as my council's planning website?

No. The Planning Portal is where you submit, while your council's planning website is where you view decisions, the planning register, officer reports, neighbour comments, and conditions. They are two separate systems run by different organisations.

Does the Planning Portal charge a fee?

Yes. The Portal adds a service charge of £91 on top of the council application fee for online householder submissions. The charge covers its guidance content, interactive tools, support, and processing service.

Do you have to use the Planning Portal to submit a planning application?

Not legally. Councils still accept paper applications by post, which avoids the service charge. In practice almost everyone submits online because it gives instant confirmation, a tracking reference, and a structured form that reduces errors.

Who do I contact about my planning application status?

Contact your council's planning department, not the Planning Portal, for anything about your application's progress, conditions, or decision. The Portal's support team can only help with technical problems such as login or upload errors.

When does the Planning Portal go offline for the annual fee change?

The Portal goes offline at 17:00 on 31 March each year for the annual fee changeover, as council fees rise on 1 April in line with CPI. To submit at the old rate, your application must be fully completed and paid before the shutdown.

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Phase 1 · Planning & Permissions · Task 03 of 17

The Planning Portal: What It Is and How to Use It

What the Planning Portal does, what it costs (£91 service charge), and how it differs from your council's planning website.

7 min readUpdated 2026Free with email

Infographic showing the Planning Portal's role as an intermediary between homeowners and local council planning departments, with the service charge and submission flow

The Planning Portal charges you £91 on top of the council fee and does nothing your council can't do itself. That's the blunt version. But if you're submitting a planning application in England, you'll almost certainly use it anyway, because it's the path of least resistance and the one your architect already knows. Understanding what it is, what it costs, and where its job ends will stop you confusing it with your council and save you from the technical snags that trip people up every year.

What this guide covers

01What the Planning Portal Actually Is
02Registering for an Account
03What You Can Do on the Portal
04The Service Charge
05Portal vs Your Council's Planning Website
06Common Pitfalls
07Submitting by Post (The Alternative)
08Getting Help

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