Online Planning and Building Control Application Search Key Features

Our new online tool for viewing and commenting on planning applications has now gone live and has some great features. 

This is a more responsive system on mobile devices compared to our previous portal. 

Searching for applications

It has a powerful search function with the added ability to perform an advanced search. Through an advanced search you can refine your results by searching for the following:

  • by parish;
  • by ward;
  • in a set date range;
  • or by the type of application.

It's not just planning applications that you can find. Using our category search you can look for:

  • building control applications;
  • planning appeals;
  • enforcement notices;
  • and Tree Preservation Orders.

Our quick links enable you to quickly search for applications within the last seven days, or within seven days of a set date of your choice. You can search for all major applications within the borough.

There are different ways you can view your search results – either in a list or a table.

All of our search results are customisable and there are different ways you can view them.

Commenting on applications

You can submit and view comments online under the dedicated comments tab within each application.

Viewing files related to a planning application

You can view all the files that are related to a planning application. These public files will be found under the Files section of an application. 

There is an option to download all of the files related to a particular planning application. You can also filter the documents to find what you're looking for easily.

Viewing multi-page TIFF documents in Windows 11

There appears to be a known issue with viewing multi-page TIFFs in Windows 11 that didn't occur in Windows 10.  If you are experiencing issues like only seeing the first page of a TIFF document within our Public Register, please double check Microsoft guidance as to how to rectify this or you may need to consider using a third-party application that supports multi-page TIFF files.

If the issues continue, please do not hesitate to let us know so we can investigate further.

What further changes to the online planning application viewer are planned?

We are looking to continually develop this platform and we have some exciting developments planned for the future. These include:

  • Integrated map to show application location and boundary alongside the application details on the public register.
  • More quick links/subscription services to information and updates for criteria such as wards, parishes and postcodes.
  • New/replacement online enforcement complaint reporting tool - now available
  • New/replacement Local authority search request submission tool - now available