More than a portal
What does it mean to be the company that powers the Planning Portal?
Planning Portal is where planning and building control begins across England and Wales. As the national portal, it supports both homeowners and thousands of professionals every day - from planning agents and architects - as well as being a free account management service to local authority teams.
TerraQuest, as the operator of Planning Portal, is responsible for powering and enabling this national digital infrastructure. But what does this role actually involve?
Reinventing the national portal through sustained reinvestment
For TerraQuest, powering the Planning Portal means investing directly back into the system. Our reinvestment approach strengthens the platform. Updates, workflow improvements, payment efficiencies and support services are all designed to reduce friction and increase consistency across the national planning process.
It’s about long-term system stewardship that benefits the whole sector.
Building Planning Portal around real users
Every improvement starts with user insight. Our dedicated user research team works continuously with planning consultancies, professionals, homeowners and councils to understand emerging needs and pain points.
One of the biggest challenges is designing a system that works for savvy professionals submitting complex applications, while also being accessible for homeowners and first-time applicants who may be less familiar with planning systems. Balancing these needs requires constant monitoring, testing, and adaptation to ensure the platform remains effective for everyone.
This research shapes how the national portal evolves, to deliver:
- clearer pathways through applications
- reduced validation errors
- more intuitive guidance
- improved support during busy periods
By grounding decisions in real experience, TerraQuest ensures the Planning Portal remains relevant, accessible and resilient.
Translating policy into practical digital delivery
The planning system is shaped by shifting policy, regulatory change and market pressures. TerraQuest’s digital and policy teams work together to translate these requirements into workable digital processes within the Planning Portal.
From legislative updates spanning infrastructure and land policy to sustainability requirements and local government changes, our role is to ensure that professionals can navigate change confidently and that applications remain compliant from the outset.
Leading the conversation: Planning Index and sector insight
Powering the Planning Portal also means understanding planning activity at a national scale. Through our Planning Application Index Report series, we analyse trends across millions of application records to spotlight shifts in demand, regional patterns and the pressures affecting development.
These insights allow TerraQuest to contribute to sector-wide conversations with credible, data-driven thought leadership, helping local authorities, industry bodies and government understand what’s happening on the ground, and why. By sharing intelligence and sector analysis, we help inform better planning policy, strengthen decision-making frameworks and support a healthier planning ecosystem.
A platform strengthened by collaboration
Being responsible for the Planning Portal means staying deeply connected to the sector it serves. TerraQuest works at the intersection of the public and private sector, bridging the gap between local authorities, developers, and industry professionals to ensure the platform meets evolving needs.
We maintain strong relationships with leading industry bodies, including the RTPI and CIAT, and actively contribute to shaping sector-wide discussions. Planning Portal recently led the National Planning Conference, bringing together thought leaders from across the planning sector to explore challenges, share insights, and drive innovation at a macro level.
Through workshops, webinars, and ongoing feedback sessions, we anticipate pressures, unblock process challenges, and ensure the national portal reflects the real dynamics of planning. This widespread view allows TerraQuest to influence policy, design effective tools, support timely decision-making, and keep the planning system moving efficiently for everyone who relies on it.
Powering the Planning Portal is about more than maintaining a service
It’s about shaping the digital infrastructure of the planning system - investing in people, research and technology to improve how applications are prepared, submitted and processed across the country.
For TerraQuest, powering the national portal means helping the entire sector work better, every day, and preparing it for what comes next.
Continue exploring: More than a Portal
Want to understand the full picture of how Planning Portal supports the sector and the people who use it?
Explore our More than a portal campaign to see the work, teams and innovation behind the national planning system and what’s coming next.
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