The Planning Review

The Planning Review: planning intelligence built on the UK planning record

The Planning Review is a UK platform that turns live planning data into tools for professionals involved in the planning system. Its stated purpose is to make planning transparent by helping users appoint the right specialists, win new work and track applications in their area. The service is organised around three products: a directory of companies, a planning application search and a module for consultants seeking new work.

A directory of 18,400+ companies linked to planning applications

The directory lists architects, planning consultants, ecologists, arboriculturists, heritage, transport and flood risk consultants, among other specialists. Each entry is shown alongside the planning applications the company has worked on, so users can identify firms that have handled projects of a similar size near a given site. The platform reports 18,400+ companies listed across the UK and 5,200+ people using the directory in a 30-day period. It also displays a rating of 4.4 on Trustpilot.

Planning Search: tracking applications across the UK

The Planning Search product covers new planning applications from across the UK, labelled by project type and size, with decision outcomes and email alerts for selected areas. It is aimed at developers, contractors and suppliers who need to follow activity in the areas where they work.

Find New Work for specialist consultants

A third module addresses specialist consultants. It surfaces planning applications near them that need their discipline, or are likely to, including the agent to contact and the companies that regularly bring in specialists of that kind.

The team behind the platform

The company is led by Shaun Matthews ARB, managing director, a practising architect who studied at Cambridge and works on complex residential and mixed-use projects in London; taking those schemes through the planning system is described as the origin of The Planning Review. Joseph Hill, technical director, studied engineering at the University of Bath and works in trading, building systematic trading strategies, and leads the technical side. Kerem Bilge, developer, studied at the University of Bath and worked as a software engineer at Aurora Energy Research, and builds and maintains the products. Jonathan Greenberg MRTPI, planning advisor, is a chartered town planner who studied at the University of Manchester and worked for developers, land promoters and consultancies before founding JG Town Planning; he helps ensure the products reflect how planning works in practice.

Company details

The Planning Review Limited is registered in England and Wales with company number 16643777 and is based in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. The contact page lists a sales and support line and an email address for enquiries, and notes that support requests submitted once logged in receive the fastest response.