The impact of COVID-19 on planning
The UK had lifestyle and business operating restrictions imposed on 23 March 2020 in a drastic but needed step to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As it has in every aspect of life, the limitations have had a significant impact on the planning and construction industries.
Construction has long been a central tenet of government’s economic growth strategy but this was brought to a halt by the national lock-down. In the planning arena specifically, many businesses have furloughed staff and some have found creative solutions to manage work remotely. Now, as construction sites start to reopen, we are sharing what all of this has meant for the nature and volume of planning applications submitted in the first of our Planning Market Insight Reports.
Obtaining market data to inform business planning has never been more critical than it is today and we are therefore delighted to be able to release this data publicly and comprehensively for the first time. We hope you find the report interesting and welcome feedback on what else you may find useful to add into future reports.
Planning Portal Blog 
I have had a friend complaining that they “missed” the opportunity to comment on a neighbours planning application due to the fact the she was locked down, didn’t receive any notification from the local authority, and didn’t see a site notice due to not going outside her home for eight weeks.
Anyone else heard of this sort of thing happening?