Planning Alerts UK: How to Get Notified About Applications Near You
To get planning alerts in the UK, enter your postcode and save an alert — PlanWatch then emails you whenever a new planning application is logged near that address, free, for any local authority in the country. You choose the radius and whether you want instant alerts or a weekly digest, and you don't need a council account to set it up. Unlike a single council's notification list, one PlanWatch alert covers wherever you live, work, or own property — anywhere in the UK. Below we compare the real ways to get planning alerts in the UK — the free council and charity options and the paid monitoring services — so you can choose the right one, then show you how to set up a PlanWatch alert in under a minute.
Set up a planning alert in under a minute
It is a one-step process: enter your postcode in the box above, see the applications already logged near that address, then save the alert with your email. From that point PlanWatch watches the area for you and emails you when something new is submitted — no council login, no re-checking portals.
Free vs paid planning alerts: the honest comparison
Most providers only tell you about their own service. Here is the straight comparison of the main ways to get planning alerts in the UK, so you can pick what fits.
| Service | Free tier? | Coverage | Radius control | Instant or digest | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PlanWatch | Yes | UK local authorities nationwide | Yes — choose your radius | Both | Anyone wanting one alert anywhere in the UK |
| planning.org.uk (Planning Alerts) | Yes | UK-wide | Fixed radius on the free tier | Daily digest | Single-address neighbour watch |
| planningsignal.co.uk | Limited | Postcode search + email | Partial | Casual postcode monitoring | |
| plottr.co.uk | Paid | Nationwide (professional) | Yes | Instant (paid tiers) | Developers and professionals |
Comparison reflects each provider's publicly advertised features at the time of writing — check the provider for current terms.
How PlanWatch alerts work
A PlanWatch alert is tied to a postcode and a radius you choose. When a new application is registered with the local planning authority covering that area, we email you — instantly or in a weekly digest, your choice. Coverage is nationwide across UK local authorities, so the same alert works whether you are watching your own street, a property you are buying in another town, or a site you manage professionally.
Want to see which councils approve the most before you watch an area? Read our UK council approval-rate ranking, built from official MHCLG data. And if you are not yet sure how to read an application, see how to view planning applications near you.
Which planning alert service is right for you?
- Keeping an eye on your own neighbourhood — a free PlanWatch or planning.org.uk alert on your home postcode is all you need.
- Buying a property — set an alert on the address you are buying so you see anything submitted nearby before you complete.
- Objecting to a specific scheme — alerts tell you the moment the status changes, so you don't miss the 21-day comment window. See how to object.
- Developers and professionals — if you need instant, high-volume monitoring across many areas, a paid professional service may suit; PlanWatch's optional paid tier adds deeper tracking.
Set up your free alert now
Enter your postcode in the box at the top of this page, check what's already near you, and save the alert — it takes under a minute and the core alert is free, for any local authority in the UK.