Making planning applications
understandable
Planning applications in the Cotswolds are a contentious topic. Every week, new applications appear that could affect neighbours, local character, and property values. But the official council planning portal is designed for professionals, not residents. Documents are buried in jargon, maps are hard to navigate, and there's no simple way to understand what's actually being proposed.
Cotswold Planning Hub makes planning applications accessible to everyone. We built a platform that pulls public planning data, presents it in plain English, and helps residents understand and respond to proposals that affect their area.
The platform has become a genuine community resource, used by residents, parish councils, and local interest groups to stay informed about development in their area.
Public data that nobody
can access
Council planning portals are technically public, but practically impenetrable. Documents are PDFs within PDFs. Site plans require specialist knowledge to read. Comments periods are short and poorly publicised. The system is designed to satisfy legal requirements, not to inform communities.
The challenge was building something that made this data genuinely useful. That meant not just scraping and displaying planning data, but interpreting it. Summarising complex applications in plain English. Showing affected areas on a map. Alerting residents when something relevant appears near their home. And doing all of this automatically, because nobody has time to check the council portal every day.
Every feature earned its place
Planning search
Simple search by postcode, address, or keyword. Results presented in plain English with clear summaries of what's being proposed, where, and what stage the application has reached.
Interactive map view
Visual representation of planning applications on an interactive map. See at a glance what's being proposed in your area. Click any pin for a plain-English summary.
Plain-English summaries
Automated interpretation of planning application descriptions. Technical jargon translated into language that any resident can understand. Status updates explained clearly.
Email alerts
Configurable notifications when new applications appear within a chosen radius. Residents stay informed without having to check the site manually. Weekly digest option available.
Automated data pipeline
Daily ingestion of planning data from multiple council APIs. Applications tracked through their full lifecycle from submission to decision. Historical data maintained for trend analysis.
Community response tools
Guidance on how to submit comments, what carries weight with planning committees, and key dates for each application. Helping residents participate meaningfully in the process.
A community resource that
people actually use
Cotswold Planning Hub has become a trusted resource for residents across the region. Parish councils use it to track applications in their area. Residents receive weekly alerts about development near their homes. Local interest groups reference it when preparing responses to major applications.
The platform demonstrates that public data becomes valuable when you present it properly. The raw data was always available. The difference is making it accessible, understandable, and actionable for the people it actually affects.