Planning Portal, run by TerraQuest, has come under fire for its business model and fees. Here, TerraQuest chief executive Geoff Keal explains how the portal is saving public money while spearheading work on biodiversity
A recent article, Delays in the planning system demand open dialogue, made several important points about the challenges facing all stakeholders engaged with the planning system. However, the article also misrepresented the role of the Planning Portal and its contribution to the infrastructure of the national planning system.
Planning Portal is neither a statutory nor a regulatory body. It was privatised a decade ago from what was then the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government (DCLG). It is now jointly owned by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and TerraQuest, operating on a commercial basis without public funding from either central or local government.
Planning Portal is provided to local authorities free of charge. In fact, our service delivers significant savings for local authorities, improving efficiency and absorbing the costs that would otherwise be associated with application service delivery.
We work in close partnership with local authorities to ensure seamless system integration, delivering applications in a structured format that supports faster validation, more efficient decision-making, and improved outcomes for all.
We don’t just facilitate applications; we provide a full end-to-end management system, offering applicants the ability to save, edit, revise and submit at their convenience. Our platform is continually evolving to meet the needs of applicants and the wider planning sector, driving digital transformation across the industry.
One of the most impactful improvements we’ve made was the introduction of our unified national payment service. This directly addressed the leading causes of planning application invalidation at the time: missing or incorrect payments. Applications submitted through Planning Portal are only transferred to local authorities once payment has been received in full, eliminating this issue for applications made via our system.
Our optimised payment system also enables applicants to nominate third parties – such as clients – to make payments on their behalf, helping to streamline workflows and reduce administrative burden for planning professionals.
In 2023, we introduced an integrated location plan tool directly within the application form. This saves users time and resources by removing the need for external mapping services.
Alongside this, last year we launched our integrated Building Control Portal, allowing users to submit building control applications through the same unified login they use for planning. This offers a streamlined, joined-up experience for users submitting multiple application types and helps support consistency across the wider planning and construction process.
Our ability to adapt and respond to the evolving needs of the planning sector is a key reason we're a trusted partner to government and local authorities in delivering national digital infrastructure. A strong example of this is our work on biodiversity net gain (BNG). We didn’t just meet the legislative requirements, we proactively developed intelligent application logic in collaboration with the government to simplify compliance for applicants and support consistent, high-quality data collection. By going beyond the basic data needs, we’re helping shape a system that not only works today but also informs future environmental policy and drives long-term planning outcomes.
Because Planning Portal receives no public funding, our commercial success depends on providing an end-to-end service that meets the needs both of applicants and planning authorities. Our current service charge of £70.83 (£85 including VAT) amounts to a very small proportion of the overall cost of the vast majority of projects requiring planning permission. With the standard householder application fee now standing at £528, our service charge is a modest 13 per cent of the total fee, or 17 per cent including VAT.
It is in Planning Portal’s interests to keep the service fee at a level that allows the platform to operate sustainably, while delivering improvements to usability and functionality for applicants and local planning authorities alike.
Final thoughts
We work with architects daily, and our platform is widely recognised within the industry as a trusted and reliable service. While planning departments undoubtedly face challenges, commercial service provision should not be mischaracterised as a barrier to progress. It is through transparent and collaborative partnerships between the public and private sectors that real progress will be made.
User experience remains at the heart of everything we do. Our recent enhancements reflect ongoing collaboration with architects and applicants, ensuring that Planning Portal continues to support you throughout every stage of the planning journey.
If you have any feedback or need assistance, our team is here to help at support@planningportal.co.uk.
Geoff Keal is chief executive of TerraQuest, operator of Planning Portal