UK Planning Applications Scraper

Scrape planning applications from 20+ UK council portals in one run. Get reference numbers, addresses, proposals, decisions, dates, applicants, agents and more — structured and ready to use.

Perfect for property developers finding sites, builders finding leads, estate agents tracking local activity, investors monitoring planning decisions, and PropTech developers building on UK planning data.

Key Features

• Covers 20 major UK councils (expanding to 400+) including Cornwall, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Westminster, Tower Hamlets and more
• Extracts 15+ data fields per application: reference, address, description, type, status, decision, dates, applicant, agent, ward, case officer
• Filter by date range, keyword, region, or specific council
• Outputs clean JSON, CSV, or Excel — ready for analysis or integration
• Handles Idox Public Access portals (70%+ of UK councils)
• Respectful scraping with configurable delays (default 2 seconds between requests)
• Pay per result — only pay for applications actually scraped

Use Cases

• Construction lead generation: Find homeowners who just got planning permission for extensions, loft conversions, or new builds in your area
• Site sourcing for developers: Monitor new applications and approvals for residential development opportunities
• Property investment research: Track planning activity near properties you own or are considering buying
• Market intelligence: Understand development patterns, approval rates, and what's being built where
• PropTech data feeds: Power your own products with structured UK planning data via Apify API

Sample Output

{
    "reference": "24/01234/FUL",
    "council": "Cornwall Council",
    "council_code": "E06000052",
    "address": "Land Adjacent To 15 Trelawney Road, Truro, TR1 1AB",
    "description": "Construction of 4 no. dwellings with associated access and landscaping",
    "application_type": "Full Planning Permission",
    "status": "Decided",
    "decision": "Approved with Conditions",
    "decision_date": "2026-04-15",
    "received_date": "2026-02-10",
    "validated_date": "2026-02-14",
    "consultation_end_date": "2026-03-08",
    "applicant_name": "ABC Developments Ltd",
    "agent_name": "Smith & Partners Architects",
    "ward": "Truro Boscawen and Redannick",
    "case_officer": "J. Williams",
    "url": "https://planning.cornwall.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=ABC123",
    "portal_type": "idox",
    "scraped_at": "2026-05-18T14:30:00Z"
}

Supported Councils

Currently covering the top 20 UK councils by planning application volume:

Cornwall, Leeds, Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire, Durham, Manchester, Bristol, Sheffield, Bradford, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Westminster, Lambeth, Brighton & Hove, Barnet, Croydon, Bromley, East Suffolk, Nottingham, Liverpool

More councils being added regularly. Request specific councils via the Issues tab.

How to Use

1. Click Start with the default settings to scrape the last 7 days from all supported councils (limited to 20 results for a quick test)
2. Adjust the date range to cover the period you need
3. Filter by council name or region to target specific areas
4. Use the keyword field to search for specific development types (e.g. "extension", "solar", "change of use")
5. Increase Max Results when you're ready to scrape at scale

Pricing

This actor uses pay-per-event pricing. You are charged per planning application scraped. Only successful results are charged — failed scrapes are free.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default
councils	Specific councils to scrape (leave empty for all)	All
regions	Filter by UK region	All
dateFrom	Start date (DD/MM/YYYY)	7 days ago
dateTo	End date (DD/MM/YYYY)	Today
keyword	Search in application descriptions	None
maxResults	Total result limit	100
maxResultsPerCouncil	Per-council limit	50

FAQ

How often should I run this? Most councils publish weekly lists of new applications. Running weekly gives you comprehensive coverage. Running daily catches status updates on existing applications.

Is this legal? Yes. UK planning application data is public information published under the Open Government Licence. Council portals are designed for public access.

Can I get data from a council not on the list? We're expanding coverage regularly. Open an issue on the Issues tab with the council you need.

What portal systems are supported? Currently Idox Public Access (covering ~70% of UK councils). Northgate and other systems coming soon.

How do I integrate this with my own tools? Use the Apify API to trigger runs programmatically and retrieve results as JSON. See the Apify API documentation.