Planning Alert is a UK service that monitors local authority planning portals and sends instant email notifications when new planning applications are submitted near your home or business. Whether you are concerned about a proposed extension next door, a new-build development on a nearby site, or a change of use of local commercial premises, Planning Alert ensures you are always informed and have time to respond within the statutory consultation period.
When a homeowner, developer, or business submits a planning application to a local planning authority (LPA) in England, the council is required by law to publicise it. Planning Alert automatically monitors these published applications and matches them against your registered watch locations. You receive an alert by email as soon as a matching application appears, giving you the full 21-day statutory consultation period to review the proposals and, if you wish, submit your views to the council.
Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and associated regulations, anyone may make representations to a local planning authority about a planning application during the statutory consultation period. Representations must be made in writing and must address material planning considerations – factors such as impact on highway safety, overlooking, overshadowing, noise, or effect on a listed building or conservation area. Personal objections unrelated to planning matters cannot be taken into account by planning officers.
Not all building works require a planning application. Under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended), many common works – such as single-storey rear extensions up to certain depth limits, loft conversions within defined volume thresholds, and installation of solar panels – can be carried out without express planning permission. However, permitted development rights can be removed by the council through an Article 4 Direction, which is common in conservation areas and on some new housing estates. Planning Alert monitors prior approval notifications so you receive a complete picture of local development activity.
In England, a standard planning permission granted since 1 October 2009 remains valid for three years from the date of the decision notice. Works must commence within that period, though full completion is not required. If permission lapses before work begins, a fresh application must be submitted – and local plan policies and permitted development rights may have changed in the interim. Listed building consent is similarly time-limited.
To make a representation on a planning application: (1) find the application on your local council's planning portal or via Planning Alert; (2) read the submitted plans and any supporting documents, including the Design and Access Statement; (3) identify which material planning considerations are relevant to your concerns; (4) submit your written representation via the council's online portal, by email, or by post before the consultation deadline. If the application is referred to a planning committee, you may have the opportunity to speak at the public meeting.
In December 2024, the Government published a substantially revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – the most significant overhaul to national planning policy in several years. The revision reinstated mandatory housing targets for local planning authorities, calculated using a new standard method that increased the overall national requirement. It also introduced the concept of the grey belt: lower-quality or previously developed parcels of land within the green belt that councils must consider for development when they cannot demonstrate a sufficient housing land supply.
These changes are already influencing planning decisions across England. More councils are being found to lack an up-to-date five-year housing land supply, which triggers the tilted balance – a presumption in favour of granting permission even where proposals conflict with the development plan, unless the harm clearly outweighs the benefits. Homeowners and residents living near green belt, grey belt, or urban fringe land may see increased development activity in their area. Staying informed with timely planning alerts means you will have the full statutory consultation period to review proposals and make your views known.
When a local planning authority refuses a planning application, the applicant has the right to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. In England the appeal deadline is typically six months from the decision notice for most applications, or 12 weeks for householder applications. Unlike the original application, neighbours do not automatically receive individual written notice of an appeal, so it is easy to miss. Planning Alert tracks application status changes so you are alerted if a refused application moves to appeal.
During an appeal, members of the public can submit interested party representations – written comments to the Planning Inspectorate addressing material planning considerations. The appeal may be decided by written representations, a hearing, or a public inquiry, depending on complexity. In all cases, the appointed planning inspector takes an independent view of the same material planning considerations that applied to the original decision.
Planning Alert monitors planning applications from local planning authorities across England. Register your watch location using any UK postcode, choose a search radius from 0.5 km to 5 km, and we handle the rest – checking for new applications and sending you an email the moment one appears within your chosen area.