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What does the free report tell me?

A score from 0 to 100 for how likely the field is to be built on, and its band: Low (0 to 19), Moderate (20 to 44), High (45 to 69) or Very high (70 to 100). It also gives the outlook over the next 5 and 15 years, and where the field is in the planning process.

It names the strongest reasons behind the score, counts how many push it up or down, and lists what we checked and how confident the score is.

Is it really free?

Yes. The free report needs no account and no card. The deep report, with every reason and the web check, is £19.99 per report, whether it covers one field or up to 20.

What does low confidence mean?

That we don't yet hold the council's Local Plan sites or its planning applications for that area. Those are where the strongest signs of development come from, so without them the score may be missing something. The report says which checks it couldn't make.

Do I need an account?

Not to check a field or to buy a report. Signing in lets you save fields and searches, score every field in view on the map (up to 60 at a time), and keep anything you buy in one place.

There's no password: we email you a link, and that signs you in.

What does the deep report add?

Every reason behind the score, each with the application, site or record it rests on, its date and its source.

A web check for promoters, land deals and local news about the land, with the score worked out again from what it finds.

Planning applications within 1 km, on a map. What could change the score. And, when a score has moved, which reasons came and went.

How much is it?

£19.99 per report, one payment. A report can be one field or up to 20 chosen together, for the same price. There's no subscription.

How long do I keep it?

For good. Buying the deep report unlocks the fields themselves, not one copy of the report, so any report you open on those fields later is in full too.

What if I've already bought some of the fields?

You only buy the rest. The report tells you how many you already have, and £19.99 covers the others. If you already have every field in it, there's nothing to pay.

I bought it without signing in. How do I get it back?

It's kept in the browser you bought it in, and we email you a link to it. Sign in with the email address you paid with, and it moves into your account, so it opens on any device.

Does a report update itself?

Not with new data. A report is scored with the data we hold on the day it was checked, which it shows at the top. We keep reading council planning registers every day, so newer records may have come in since. The one exception: when we change how scores are worked out, saved reports are scored again in the background by the new method, from the same data.

When we've found housing applications within 1 km since a report was checked, it says so at the top, for example "2 new planning applications nearby since this check". They won't always change the score, but checking again takes them into account.

Does checking again cost anything?

No. Check again is free for everyone, on free and deep reports alike, once every 24 hours. It scores the field again with the planning records and web results we hold now.

Can the web check be run again?

Yes, with the deep report, free of charge, once every 7 days for each town or village. The score is worked out again with what it finds.

Will you tell me when something changes?

Not yet. Watch, an email when anything changes on a field, is on its way. Until then, the report shows when new applications have come in nearby.

How accurate is it?

It's an estimate built from published data, not a prediction. Where we hold the council's plans and planning register, it's a fair reflection of the pressure on a field. Where we don't yet, the report says so and marks the score low confidence. It is never planning or legal advice.

Where does the data come from?

Open data from HM Land Registry, the Environment Agency, Natural England, Historic England, Ordnance Survey and the councils themselves, plus what promoters and the local press publish. Every reason in a deep report links to where it came from.

How far back do you look?

Planning applications from the last 15 years, on the field and within 1 km of it.

Councils seldom publish the boundary of a site, and fields have no postcode. Where the boundary isn't published we place an application by the postcode in its address, or, for land described like "Land north of Mill Lane, Testford", on the open land on that side of that road. When an application on a field was placed this way, the report says so.

Which areas do you cover?

All of England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different planning systems and aren't covered yet. Within England we don't yet read every council's planning register; where we don't, the report says so.

Can you tell me who owns the field?

Not yet. An owner check from HM Land Registry is on the way, on its own and bundled with the deep report.

Can I use your scores on my own site or in my product?

Yes. There's an API for your server and a widget you can embed in a page, such as a property listing. Each needs a key, which we issue by hand, and pricing is by arrangement for now. The developers page (/developers) explains both and how to ask for a key.

What do the API and widget show?

What the free report shows: each field's score and band, the outlook over 5 and 15 years, and the main reasons in a few words. The API also lists planning applications for new homes nearby: what was asked for, when and what was decided, with a link to the council's own page.

The sources, the records and the full reasoning stay in the deep report. Fields we haven't scored yet are checked when they're asked about, and show as being checked until their score is ready.

Does the widget track people?

No. It sets no cookies and keeps nothing in the reader's browser. We count how often each widget is seen and clicked, and nothing about who saw it.