Planning Portal application service – What is changing?

We will soon be launching our new online planning application service to our customers, and as a user of the Planning Portal (www.planningportal.co.uk), we’d like to let you know what the change will mean for you on day one. Please take a few minutes to read this post and understand any action you may need to take.

We are pleased to confirm that the new Planning Portal will be available on 31 January 2022. In order to deploy the new website, the Planning Portal website will be unavailable from 17:00 on 28 January until 09:00 on 31 January.

Following the launch, you will have access to all the functions and facilities you are familiar with and some new ones, with a new look and feel, presented to you in our refreshed brand style.

From 31 January, to access the service for the first time you will need to set a new password and update your account details. You will be prompted to do this when you log in for the first time and we have also created a walk-through guide.

Find out how to reset your password from 31 January on the new Planning Portal.

To comply with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 (GDPR), we will only move over accounts, applications, and documents that have been accessed, created, or updated in the last two years. Submitted applications have been transferred to the relevant Local Authority and they are required to hold a copy on their public registers.

Please ensure you follow the steps below relevant to you to access your account and applications easily.

Once you have changed your password on your Planning Portal account after 31 January, you will continue to receive communications from us regarding changes/amendments made to the Planning Portal, relevant Planning updates, news, offers and promotions. Third parties may also contact you to send you bespoke marketing emails. Any information you provide or that you have provided previously will be used, looked after and retained in accordance with our new Privacy Notice, which also tells you about your rights in connection with that data. You can read it here: https://ecab.planningportal.co.uk/Uploads/Privacy_notice.pdf. Should you wish to opt out of these communications at any time, a link will be made available to you at the bottom of any of emails you receive from us, enabling you to modify your preferences.

If you need further assistance, visit the help section of our website.

---

I have accessed my Planning Portal account in the last two years but I have some applications that are over two years old that I want to keep.

Your account will be seen as active so you can continue to use it as usual. However, if you wish to be able to access any applications in your account that are more than two years old, you will need to download those applications by 28 January 2022. 

Find out how to download a copy of an application.

Find out how to retain a copy of an application over two years old.

---

I haven’t accessed my account in over two years, but I would like to keep it open so I can submit applications in the future.

If this applies to you, you will need to log in to your Planning Portal account by 28 January 2022. This will identify you as being an active user and ensure your account details are moved to our new system. 

If you are having trouble logging in, you can reset your password by following these steps.

Once the service has launched, we will not be able to access old accounts or applications to reinstate them so please take a moment to take any action required.

---

Why are you retaining my data for two years?

To comply with key principles in the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 (GDPR), we will only move over information accessed in the last two years. All personal information should, legal requirements not withstanding, be erased if no longer required. 

We constantly review our policies and on the back of this have amended the GDPR data retention policy from four years to two years.