Many LPAs report that a very high share of incoming applications are invalid, often around 50%. Location plan errors alone can account for roughly one in five invalidations, creating rework and delay.
UK Planning Gateway builds your local validation list into the applicant journey. We check documents as they’re added, require the right drawings, and pre-license OS maps so red-line and scale issues are caught early. Applicants only reach “Submit” once everything meets your rules, which means far fewer invalids on day one.
58%
reduction in invalid submissions compared with baseline quarter
42%
reduction in revalidation turnaround times
Validation Team Lead
pilot planning authority
Officers lose hours to manual triage, re-keying details from PDFs, and hunting for the right file in a long email chain. Small tasks add up and delay decisions.
UK Planning Gateway sends structured, machine-readable submissions that slot neatly into your workflow. Key fields are captured once, documents are correctly labelled, and site data is clean. If you use a modern back office like BOPS, our data aligns from the start, so officers can open a case and get straight to assessment rather than admin.
45%
reduction in officer time spent on manual triage
35%
increase in cases reaching assessment within five working days
Planning Officer
Pilot Planning Authority
Duty planners handle the same questions every day: “Do I need permission for this?” or “Which form do I use?” These calls are important but repetitive, and they pull staff away from complex work.
Councils can embed UK Planning Gateway’s self-serve checker, powered by our patent-pending AskArchi, directly on their website. Residents select their property, answer a few guided questions, and see clear next steps 24/7. Fewer routine calls reach the team, and the queries that do come in are better informed.
60%
reduction in routine ‘Do I need permission?’ calls
50%
increase in self-service queries resolved online
Customer Services Manager
Pilot Planning Authority
Pre-apps often arrive without enough context to give useful advice. Officers have to go back and forth for drawings, policy references, and site details, which slows everything and frustrates applicants.
UK Planning Gateway structures pre-apps around the information officers need. Applicants are prompted for the right plans, ownership details, and site specifics, and we attach the relevant policy list automatically. You receive a complete and consistent request that is ready to review, so advice goes out sooner and with more confidence.
52%
reduction in incomplete pre-app submissions
40%
reduction in back-and-forth correspondence before validation
Team Leader
Development Management
Pilot Planning Authority
Enforcement teams receive lots of incomplete or non-planning reports. Time is wasted sorting genuine cases from issues that should go elsewhere.
UK Planning Gateway’s “Report a breach” flow asks for the evidence that helps officers act: address or map location, photos, dates, and what has changed. We also guide residents away from non-planning issues before they submit. The result is fewer dead ends and better information on the cases that matter.
48%
reduction in non-planning or duplicate reports
55%
improvement in evidence completeness at submission
Enforcement Officer
Pilot Planning Authority
