A UK property planning intelligence service has launched with the aim of identifying planning-related issues that could cause residential transactions to collapse.
Planning Decoder, which has been operating in beta since late 2025, offers 48-hour reports that aggregate data from local authority planning records, appeal decisions, Companies House filings and policy documents. The service combines AI-assisted analysis with human review.
The platform is currently working with estate agents across the South East and Wales, focusing on complex residential transactions including listed properties, Green Belt sites and homes in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Material information disclosure
The service launch comes amid increasing regulatory pressure on estate agents regarding material information disclosures, particularly where planning history or compliance issues are not visible through standard property searches. This follows wider digitisation efforts in the homebuying process across England and Wales.
Planning Decoder founder James Williams said: “The information agents need to disclose is already in the public record. Our job is to do the work of finding it, in 48 hours, for less than a transaction fee.”
According to Williams, the most common use cases include pre-marketing due diligence, pre-exchange verification and resolving planning queries raised late in the conveyancing process.
Recent case examples
The company has cited recent examples including incorrect planning authority records on a listed farmhouse, historic planning issues on rural land that had not appeared in standard searches, and evidence provision to support an appeal on a development site.
Williams added: “Estate agents are moving into a world where ‘I didn’t know’ is no longer a defence. The research burden shouldn’t fall on them manually when the data is sitting there waiting to be pulled properly.”
The service aims to provide agents with greater confidence in their material information disclosures while reducing delays and transaction failures at the point of exchange. Reports are priced from £149, targeting agents handling transactions where planning complexity could pose a risk to completion.
