Wales to receive new national planning service

TerraQuest to provide Planning Portal services across Wales under new agreement with Welsh Government

TerraQuest will provide its Planning Portal service for planning applications in Wales from 31 March 2025, following an agreement with the Welsh Government.

The launch of Planning Portal, which is already used for more than 97% of planning applications across England, will enable applicants to submit applications and receive vital updates in respect of Welsh sites.

The new service will be bi-lingual, offering both Welsh and English language options. Current users of Planning Applications Wales will be able to keep the same account and transfer to the new service.

Applicants will benefit from an improved service, including standardised payment options across all 25 Welsh authorities which, in turn, will streamline application submissions and address a key cause of invalidations.

In addition, Planning Portal will offer a built-in location plan tool that generates compliant plans, captures spatial data and transfers digitally to the Welsh authorities – reducing reliance on third-party tools.

The new portal will also ease the process for developers operating in both England and Wales, with a uniform experience across both countries.

It is anticipated that additional features will be added, including integration with building control applications, enabling a comprehensive service from a single platform.

Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning Rebecca Evans said: “We said we wanted to streamline the planning process in Wales and speed up the decision-making process on important projects and that’s exactly what we are doing. This seamless transition to a trusted provider and partner will help ensure consistency and speed across the planning process and provide continuity for applicants.”

Geoff Keal, CEO at TerraQuest added: “We will deliver both a seamless transition and an enhanced user experience for customers. Planning Portal is a tried and tested planning tool that offers a highly efficient service that has helped thousands of consumers navigate and keep up-to-speed with the progress of their applications. We look forward to working with the Welsh Government and new customers in Wales.”