Getting Planning Right from the Start: How Better Data Can Unlock Viable Development

Development viability starts long before a planning application is submitted. Decisions about which land to pursue, what constraints to account for and what a proposal will need to satisfy to secure planning consent, can shape a project’s costs, timescales and prospects of delivery.

Better data at this stage helps developers assess opportunities more confidently, identify risks earlier and avoid committing resources on assumptions that may later prove costly.

These challenges were explored at TerraQuest’s recent UK Construction Week panel, ‘Tackling viability: From land to planning’. The panel was hosted by Alanna Mahoney, Senior Land Consultant at TerraQuest, who was joined by Bart Shirm, Senior Planning Policy Officer at Metropolitan Borough Council and Chantelle Hallett, Head of Product at TerraQuest.

Here are the key insights from the panel – providing useful insight into how better data can unlock viable development.

The earlier you understand a site, the better decisions you can make

For developers, one of the biggest challenges at the beginning of the planning journey is uncertainty.

A site may look promising, but there can be significant unknowns around planning constraints, access, environmental considerations, infrastructure requirements, financial obligations and ultimately its development potential.

Those unknowns directly affect viability.

As Bart Shirm highlighted during the discussion, having access to the right data earlier in the process can help developers understand what their planning journey is likely to look like before significant time and money is committed.

This is particularly important as planning becomes increasingly complex, with changes to policy, legislation and local requirements creating a landscape that can be difficult to navigate.

The answer isn't necessarily more information. It's better information, available at the right point in the process.

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Finding the right land is the first critical decision

From a land acquisition perspective, early intelligence can fundamentally change the way developers approach a site.

As Alanna Mahoney highlighted, at TerraQuest our site identification team works with developers ranging from national housebuilders to SMEs and organisations looking for land for uses such as renewable energy and leisure.

The process starts with a development brief and then uses planning and land data to identify potential opportunities.

But identifying a piece of land is only the beginning. A site needs to have genuine development potential.

That means understanding its physical constraints and planning credentials before a developer commits significant resources to pursuing it.

Off-market opportunities can be particularly valuable here. By identifying sites early, developers can potentially engage with landowners before a site reaches the wider market, giving them greater control over negotiations and pricing. That can be crucial for viability.

When sites become highly competitive, land values can be driven beyond what the site's actual development potential can support. Add rising construction costs and previously unidentified constraints, and a project that initially appeared viable can quickly become challenging.

The more developers know before they commit, the more control they have over their own development journey. This is where the connection between land intelligence and planning readiness becomes particularly valuable. Assessing a site’s potential and understanding what it will take to progress it should form one informed journey.

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Planning data needs to become easier to access

There is also a significant opportunity for the planning system itself.

Local authorities hold huge amounts of valuable information about their areas, but historically much of that data has not been easy to access or has existed in different formats.

That is beginning to change.

The development of national planning data initiatives is helping to bring information together, digitise datasets and standardise information across different authorities.

This includes information such as planning constraints and Tree Preservation Orders – exactly the sort of information that can affect a development, but which needs to be understood at the earliest possible stage.

Better data doesn't just improve efficiency. It can also improve transparency and trust between applicants and decision-makers.

As the planning system moves towards a more consistent, rules-based approach, having reliable and accessible data becomes increasingly important.

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Getting the planning application right first time

Once a developer has decided to progress a site, the next challenge is making sure the application is complete.

An incomplete application can create unnecessary delays before the planning authority has even started determining the proposal.

Understanding local validation requirements, identifying the necessary supporting documents and knowing what technical information is required can therefore save significant time.

There is also an important commercial consideration.

Developers should understand their potential areas of flexibility before submitting an application – and, just as importantly, know their red lines.

What can be negotiated?

What cannot?

What financial obligations might arise, such as Section 106 or Community Infrastructure Levy payments?

What planning conditions could affect the viability or deliverability of the scheme?

These are questions that are far easier to address before an application is submitted than after.

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Technology can move the process upstream

This is where technology has a potentially transformative role.

As  Chantelle Hallett highlighted Planning Portal already provides a central digital route for 95% of all planning applications in England. The opportunity now is to use data and technology not simply to digitise the submission process, but to support better decisions before an application is submitted.

That means helping applicants understand:

• What constraints affect a site

• What documentation is likely to be required

• What local requirements apply

• What financial obligations may be relevant

• Whether a proposal is likely to require further engagement

• Whether submitted documents meet basic requirements

Tools such as interactive planning guidance, constraint information, AI-assisted descriptions and automated document checking can all help move information and decision-making further upstream.

For example, identifying an issue with a location plan before submission is significantly more valuable than discovering it several weeks later during validation.

The objective isn't simply to automate planning. It's to prevent avoidable problems from entering the planning system in the first place.

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From national data to local intelligence

One of the biggest remaining challenges is consistency.

Planning requirements can vary between local authorities, particularly around validation and the information required to support an application.

National datasets can provide a valuable foundation, but developers also need access to the detail held at a local level.

Bringing these layers together – national planning data, local requirements, site constraints and application information – could provide developers with a much clearer picture of the journey ahead.

And that information needs to be available before the application is submitted, not only once the applicant is already committed to the process.

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The opportunity: make planning more predictable

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from our discussion was that better planning isn't necessarily about adding more stages to the process.

It's about making better decisions earlier.

For developers, that means:

• Identify the right land.

• Understand the constraints.

• Test viability early.

• Know the local requirements.

• Submit complete information.

• Use data to reduce uncertainty.

For local authorities, better data can support greater consistency, transparency and efficiency.

And for technology providers, the challenge is to connect these different parts of the journey so that information is available when people actually need it.

The planning system will always involve judgement, negotiation and complexity. But there is a huge opportunity to remove the uncertainty that comes simply from not having the right information at the right time.

Viable development starts long before a planning application is submitted.

The earlier we can make informed decisions, the greater the opportunity to deliver the homes, infrastructure and places that the UK needs. Making that early part of the journey more informed and predictable is where TerraQuest and Planning Portal can make a meaningful difference.

With thanks to Alanna Mahoney, Bart Shirm and Chantelle Hallett for the discussion and insights, and to everyone who joined the session and contributed questions.

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