Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of Terms

By using the PlanningScout website at planningscout.co.uk (“the Website”), you agree to be bound by these terms of use. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Website.

2. Information Purposes Only

All content on PlanningScout — including guides, articles, calculators, tools, and council information — is provided for general information purposes only. It does not constitute and should not be relied upon as:

• Professional planning advice
• Legal advice
• Financial or valuation advice
• An authoritative statement of current law or planning policy

Planning law and policy changes frequently. We endeavour to keep our content up-to-date, but we cannot guarantee that all information is current, accurate, or complete at the time you access it.

3. Always Check with Your LPA

Before carrying out any development — including works that you believe are permitted development — we strongly recommend that you:

• Contact your local planning authority (LPA) to confirm the position
• Check the current legislation (available at legislation.gov.uk)
• Consider applying for a Certificate of Lawful Development (£129) for formal legal certainty
• Consult a qualified architect, planning consultant, or solicitor for complex cases

4. No Affiliation with Government

PlanningScout is an independent commercial website. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any government body, including: the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG); the Planning Inspectorate (PINS); Historic England; any local planning authority; or the Planning Portal. Our use of public sector data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

5. Accuracy of Data

We source our council data from open government datasets (including planning.data.gov.uk), which we update periodically. Data such as conservation area counts, listed building numbers, and brownfield site totals are approximate and may not reflect the most current position. Always verify data with your LPA or Historic England directly.

6. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, PlanningScout excludes all liability for:

• Any loss or damage arising from reliance on information provided on the Website
• Planning decisions made by any local planning authority
• Enforcement action taken as a result of unauthorised development
• Errors or omissions in our content
• Unavailability of the Website

Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other matter that cannot be excluded by law.

7. Intellectual Property

The content on PlanningScout — including written guides, tool designs, and branding — is our intellectual property or is used under licence. You may read and share links to our content, but you may not reproduce, copy, or distribute our content without our written permission. Council data reproduced from open government sources is subject to the Open Government Licence v3.0.

8. External Links

Our Website contains links to third-party websites including council planning portals, government websites, and the Planning Portal. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or privacy practices of these external sites. Links are provided for convenience only.

9. Governing Law

These terms of use are governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. Continued use of the Website after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.