Live and bulk England planning datasets used for council records and the constraints checker. Coverage limitations are shown with results.
Data Sources & Methodology
PlanningScout covers active local planning authorities in England. We use open public-sector datasets and do not manufacture estimates for authorities where a dataset has no coverage.
Current dataset coverage
| Dataset | Authorities covered | Records represented |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation areas | 296 of 296 | 10,038 |
| Listed buildings | 74 of 296 | 94,966 |
| Brownfield sites | 51 of 296 | 1,786 |
| Tree preservation orders | 51 of 296 | 71,265 |
| Article 4 directions | 76 of 296 | 2,527 |
A dash (—) on a council page means the source dataset does not currently cover that authority. It does not mean the true count is zero.
Live constraints checker methodology
The Planning Constraints Checker sends the entered England postcode or UPRN to the official Planning Data API and requests current intersecting records from selected heritage, environmental, flood, Green Belt, Article 4 and protected-tree datasets. PlanningScout displays returned records without creating inferred designations.
- Coverage varies by dataset and local planning authority.
- A postcode represents an area and may not match the exact red-line site boundary.
- No returned record does not mean that no constraint exists.
- The council's own constraints map, planning history and source designation remain the final checks.
Primary sources
Official API parameters, spatial-query behaviour, entity fields and the warning that absent results are not proof of no constraints.
Listed buildings and their grades.
Statutory England planning application fee categories and annual indexation.
Enforcement powers, time limits and transitional rules.
Primary legislation for England use classes, read with later amendments and the current GPDO for change-of-use rights.
Corrections
Public datasets change and local authority boundaries can be reorganised. If a council link, count or planning rule looks wrong, send the page URL and the supporting source.
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