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

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 the Planning Portal Actually Is

The Planning Portal is an online service for submitting planning applications in England (and, separately, building control applications). It's operated by PortalPlanQuest Limited, a joint venture between TerraQuest Solutions and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. The government designated it as the official digital channel, and your local planning authority receives your application through it, but the Portal itself doesn't make any decisions about your extension.

Think of it as a post office for planning applications. It collects your form, your drawings, and your payment. It routes everything to the correct council. Then its job is done. The council validates and assesses your proposal, then issues a decision. The Portal is not involved in any of that.

This distinction matters because homeowners regularly contact the Planning Portal when they should be contacting their council, and vice versa. If you have a question about your application status, your planning conditions, or why a decision is taking so long, that's your council's planning department. The Portal can't help with any of it.

Registering for an Account

Creating an account is free and takes a few minutes. Go to planningportal.co.uk and click the registration link. You'll need a valid email address (this becomes your login) and a password. The system sends a verification email. Click the link, and you're in.

If your architect is handling the submission, they'll likely use their own account. That's normal. But create your own account too, because you can use it to track application progress and buy OS maps directly. The Portal's interactive permitted development tools are also worth exploring from your own login.

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