Planningfinder.co.uk is a free to use internet portal for everyone. We send you an email whenever a planning application is submitted close to your registered postcode. PlanningFinder works by searching for applications on local authorities' websites and then calculates which ones are close to you. You can find out if your local authority is covered here. The service is for anyone who values their environment, be it town or country, who wants to know about changes which could affect the character of their locality. PlanningFinder enables you to keep an eye on things such as:

• Demolition of suburban homes to build high density flats on the site of the houses and their gardens.
  
• The protection of wildlife corridors in both towns and in the countryside.
• Proposals to close local shops and other amenities and change the use to residential.
• The loss of suburban green space due to new build houses in back gardens.
• Expansions to bars and restaurants creating night life districts in formerly residential areas.
• New placements of phone masts or pylons close to homes and schools.
• The protection and improvement of local green spaces, parks and nature reserves.
• Proposals for local landmark buildings that are in need of renovation.

Prompted by the unaffordability of house prices for people starting out, the government has put housing at the centre of policy in a way unprecedented since the inter war years and 1950’s. With plans for affordable housing, whole new eco-towns, changes to planning legislation and a housebuilding target of 240,000 new homes per year there's never been a better time to get informed!

Useful Links

Find out how the Wildlife Trusts are protecting wildlife in towns and the countryside.

Search English Heritage's Buildings at Risk register.

See how quiet it is where you live with CPRE's tranquility maps.

Read how the Soil Association promotes farming that encourages wildlife instead of squeezing it out.

Check the risk of flooding in your area using the Environment Agency's Flood Map.

Use ononemap.com to find houses for sale and their proximity to mobile phone masts.