What the template includes
One row per application, with 15 fields covering the council reference, original record link, date checked, project type, published stage, service-area fit, evidence gaps, decision, reason, next action, review date and team owner. Ten blank rows are included; add as many as you need.
The worksheet is designed for early business research. It records your team's judgement; it does not assess whether planning permission is required or whether a project will go ahead.
How to use it
- Open the CSV in Excel, or import it into Google Sheets. Save your working copy as a spreadsheet if you want filters, colours or extra tabs.
- Set application references to plain text so leading zeros stay intact. Use YYYY-MM-DD for dates and one row per application.
- Check the original council record. Copy its URL and record what it actually says, including the date you checked it.
- Record your service-area and project-type fit. Put unanswered questions in the evidence field rather than guessing a budget, start date or buying intention.
- Choose yes, monitor or decline. Add one sentence explaining the decision, a next action and a review date.
Use a decision you can explain
- Yes: suitable for further research. Your team has enough evidence to justify a next step.
- Monitor: potentially relevant, with a specific gap to revisit. Record what would change your decision.
- Decline: outside your current fit, duplicated or not worth further research. Keep a reason to avoid repeating the work.
A yes is not a confirmed job. Planning status alone does not establish available work, a budget or a customer's intention to buy.
A fictional example
An extension proposal is inside your service area and matches your usual work, but you cannot establish the likely timing or buying route. Record those gaps, choose monitor, and assign a date to check the original record again. If the site is outside your service area, record that reason and decline.
Keep the original evidence close
For records in England and Wales, use the GOV.UK council planning-register finder to reach the relevant council service. Check each authority's current record and terminology. Keep your completed worksheet private to your team; the public download contains no project or customer data.
Put the checklist into practice
From a worksheet to a shared pipeline
Planning Data Hub helps teams research public records and organise opportunities. Explore our planning, property and public-contract data streams, or book a walkthrough to see the workflow.