# UK Planning Applications Scraper – 400+ Councils & Postcodes (`devteamdrew/uk-planning-applications`) Actor

Export UK planning applications from 400+ councils by keyword, council, or postcode radius: address, description, status, dates, coordinates and documents link. Powered by the PlanIt open API. Pay per result.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/devteamdrew/uk-planning-applications.md
- **Developed by:** [Andrew Moffat](https://apify.com/devteamdrew) (community)
- **Categories:** Real estate, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per event

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## UK Planning Applications Scraper – 400+ Councils & Postcodes

Export UK planning applications from 400+ councils by keyword, council, or postcode radius: address, description, status, dates, coordinates and documents link. Powered by the PlanIt open API. Pay per result.

**UK Planning Applications Scraper** by Moxie: fast, reliable and polite, built on official/public data sources.

### What can it do?

- Lead generation for builders, architects, solar and EV-charger installers
- Property development and land intelligence
- Monitoring a postcode or council for new applications (incremental mode)
- Market research on extensions, HMOs, change of use

### Data source

PlanIt (planit.org.uk), an open aggregator of UK council planning portals. Public data only.

### Features

- **Pay only for results** (pay-per-event pricing, no monthly rental)
- **Incremental mode**: scheduled runs return only items you haven't received before
- **LLM-ready output**: optional compact Markdown per item for RAG / AI agents
- **Polite rate limiting** with automatic retries and backoff
- Clean, flat JSON you can export as CSV, Excel, JSON or via API

### Input example

```json
{
  "search": "solar",
  "recentDays": 30,
  "maxItems": 20,
  "includeDetails": true
}
```

### Output example

```json
{
  "id": "SouthWestDevon/3013/26/ARC",
  "reference": "3013/26/ARC",
  "url": "https://www.planit.org.uk/planapplic/SouthWestDevon/3013/26/ARC/",
  "authority": "South West Devon",
  "address": "1 Example Lane, Exampletown EX1 1AA",
  "postcode": "EX1 1AA",
  "description": "Application for approval of details reserved by conditions 4 (Surface Water Run-off) , 5 (Foul Drainage), 6 (Landscaping Scheme), 11 (Solar Panels) and 12 (EVCP) of planning consent 2296/22/FUL",
  "appType": "Conditions",
  "appSize": "Small",
  "status": "Undecided",
  "receivedDate": "2026-10-29",
  "validatedDate": "2026-10-29",
  "decidedDate": null,
  "consultationEndDate": null,
  "lat": 50.517727,
  "lng": -4.187024,
  "sourceUrl": "https://westdevon.planning-register.co.uk/Planning/Display/3013/26/ARC",
  "documentsUrl": null,
  "lastChanged": "2026-10-30T09:39:46.514903",
  "enriched": true,
  "details": {
    "applicant_name": "See source",
    "case_officer": "See source",
    "parish": "Gulworthy",
    "ward_name": "Bere Ferrers",
    "n_documents": 6,
    "decision": "Pending",
    "application_type": "Approval of Details Reserved by Conditions"
  }
}
```

### Pricing

| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| Planning application (`result`) | $0.012 |
| Enriched application (`enriched-result`) | $0.02 |
| Actor start | $0.003 per run |

**Example:** 1,000 results ≈ $12.00 + $0.003 start fee. Apify platform usage is included in the price.

Benchmark: devon_gtme/uk-planning-applications-planit charges $0.02/result (Apify Store, 30 Oct 2026).

### Use via API or MCP

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/devteamdrew~uk-planning-applications/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"search": "solar", "recentDays": 30, "maxItems": 20, "includeDetails": true}'
```

AI agents (Claude, Cursor, etc.) can call this actor through the Apify MCP server: add `https://mcp.apify.com/?actors=devteamdrew/uk-planning-applications` as an MCP server.

### FAQ

**Which councils are covered?**\
Every council PlanIt covers (400+ UK planning authorities).

**How fresh is the data?**\
PlanIt rescrapes councils daily; check `lastChanged`.

**Can I schedule it?**\
Yes. Use Apify Schedules together with incremental mode to receive only new items.

**Something broke?**\
Open an issue on the actor's Issues tab; we monitor nightly and usually fix within 24 hours.

### Related actors

- [Bluesky Scraper & API – Posts, Profiles & Search](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/bluesky-scraper)
- [Companies House Scraper – UK Company Data, Directors & Filings](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/companies-house-scraper)
- [Hacker News Scraper – Stories, Comments & Who Is Hiring Jobs](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/hacker-news-scraper)
- [npm Scraper – Package Downloads, Dependencies & Maintainers](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/npm-package-scraper)
- [GitHub Trending Scraper – Repos, Stars & Developers](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/github-trending-scraper)
- [Mastodon Scraper – Fediverse Hashtags, Accounts & Trends](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/mastodon-scraper)
- [Lemmy Scraper – Posts, Comments & Communities (Fediverse)](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/lemmy-scraper)
- [SEC EDGAR Scraper – Filings Search, 10-K, 10-Q & 8-K](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/sec-edgar-scraper)
- [arXiv Scraper – Papers, Abstracts & Authors Search](https://apify.com/devteamdrew/arxiv-scraper)

### Legal and GDPR

This actor only collects publicly available data from official or open APIs and respects their rate limits and terms of use.

Results may contain personal data (e.g. names, handles). You are responsible for having a lawful basis under GDPR/UK GDPR and similar laws to process it, and for using the data in line with the source platform's terms. Do not use it for spam or for profiling individuals.

# Actor input Schema

## `search` (type: `string`):

Words to match in the application description, e.g. `solar`, `loft conversion`, `HMO`.

## `authorities` (type: `array`):

Planning authority names as used by PlanIt, e.g. `Camden`, `Cornwall`, `Leeds`.

## `postcode` (type: `string`):

Centre of a radius search, e.g. `SW1A 1AA`.

## `radiusKm` (type: `integer`):

Radius around the postcode.

## `recentDays` (type: `integer`):

Only applications from the last N days (ignored when dates are set).

## `startDate` (type: `string`):

YYYY-MM-DD

## `endDate` (type: `string`):

YYYY-MM-DD

## `appSize` (type: `string`):

Application size.

## `appState` (type: `string`):

Decision status.

## `includeDetails` (type: `boolean`):

Add agent company, case officer, parish, document and comment counts. Billed as an enriched result.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of results to return (and pay for) per run.

## `incremental` (type: `boolean`):

Remember items delivered in previous runs with the same input and skip them. Great for scheduled monitoring runs: you only pay for new results.

## `outputFormat` (type: `string`):

`json` = structured fields; `llm` = id, url and a compact Markdown block ready for LLMs/RAG; `both` = structured fields plus Markdown.

## `requestDelayMs` (type: `integer`):

Polite rate limit between API requests. Retries with backoff on 429/5xx are automatic.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "search": "solar",
  "authorities": [],
  "radiusKm": 2,
  "recentDays": 14,
  "appSize": "",
  "appState": "",
  "includeDetails": false,
  "maxItems": 100,
  "incremental": false,
  "outputFormat": "json",
  "requestDelayMs": 500
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

All results in the default dataset (overview view).

## `runSummary` (type: `string`):

Counts of pushed and skipped (already seen) items.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "search": "solar",
    "authorities": []
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("devteamdrew/uk-planning-applications").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "search": "solar",
    "authorities": [],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("devteamdrew/uk-planning-applications").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "search": "solar",
  "authorities": []
}' |
apify call devteamdrew/uk-planning-applications --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,devteamdrew/uk-planning-applications"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/U0uDu1O3SjJNNjI7M/builds/suezHWec38ZUHnwMu/openapi.json