Get it right first time: catch validation issues before you submit

Application Check is now live on Planning Portal, using AI to help you catch potential document errors before they cause avoidable delays.

Built directly into the application journey, our new AI-powered validation tool reviews your plans and supporting documents before you submit, flags potential problems and provides clear guidance on how to address them.

You know your project. Application Check keeps an eye on the detail. You run it when you choose, and you decide what to act on.

Small details, big delays

Around half of all planning applications need further information or amendments during validation. Something as simple as a missing north arrow, a scale bar left off a drawing or a site plan tagged as the wrong document can hold an application up.

Whether you’re submitting for clients or for your own home, these details are easy to miss against a deadline. But once you’ve hit submit, a small oversight can lead to repeated back and forth. Another request for information. Another drawing to update. More time spent revisiting an application you thought was ready.

That creates extra work and uncertainty for applicants, while council teams spend time chasing information and rechecking documents before applications can move forward.

In user testing, Application Check demonstrated it can significantly reduce the document issues that can lead to invalidation.

Application Check helps you catch potential issues before you submit, giving you the chance to put them right before they cause avoidable delays.

How it works

Application Check is built directly into the Planning Portal application journey. Once you’ve uploaded your supporting documents, plans and drawings, you can run the check before you submit.

The check runs in the background, so you can work on other applications or get on with other tasks while it reviews your documents.

The tool reviews your documents against national guidelines and best practice, highlighting potential issues, inconsistencies and missing information. You’ll see what may need attention and how to put it right, so you can make changes before submission.

There’s no separate platform to navigate. It’s an additional layer of support within the application journey you already use.

More than a check for missing files

A document can be attached and still be missing something important. Application Check goes beyond whether a file has been uploaded. It reviews aspects of document quality and completeness, including:

• Boundary requirements

• Tags and document types

• North arrows

• Scale bars

• File names

That gives you another opportunity to identify potential problems before your application reaches the local planning authority.

Clear guidance on what to do next

When the check is complete, you’ll see potential issues alongside recommendations, helping you understand what may need attention and how to put it right.

Laurie Cunningham, Chief Technology Officer at TerraQuest, operators of Planning Portal, said:

“We know from speaking to agents and councils that each round of invalidation can set an application back by two to four weeks. And one of the most common causes is something as small as a missing detail in a document. That’s a disproportionate delay for applicants and their projects, with extra work for council teams along the way.

That’s why we built Application Check. It brings AI-assisted review into the application journey before you submit, while there’s still time to put things right. It’s a major step in TerraQuest’s ambition to make the planning application journey more intelligent and supportive.

Building on SmartApply, this is another important step in our AI investment in Planning Portal. We’ll keep developing it based on how people use it, and we’re excited to see the difference it makes.”

Your expertise, your call

Application Check is optional and only runs when you choose. Your documents are reviewed solely to help you prepare your application. You decide whether to follow or ignore each recommendation and can continue with your application as you see fit. It’s there to support your judgement, not replace it.

Why getting it right first time matters

Time spent correcting an application is time your project isn’t moving forward – by helping you address potential document issues before submission; Application Check aims to deliver:

• Less rework after you submit

• Fewer requests for information during validation

• A smoother journey from submission to decision, with fewer avoidable delays along the way

More complete applications free up council validation teams to spend less time chasing information and more time moving applications forward. Less back and forth. Fewer avoidable delays. More capacity to support the development our communities need and help get the country building.

This is just the start

Application Check builds on our recent SmartApply enhancements and our commitment to helping professionals and homeowners plan, prepare and submit more effectively.

We’ll continue expanding the checks over time, shaped by feedback from the people who use Planning Portal, helping you identify a wider range of potential issues before you submit.

Prefer to watch and learn? See a step-by-step guide here.

Give your application a stronger start. Run Application Check, before you submit.