Planatom

Privacy Policy

Who we are

Planatom is a service operated by C8VA Limited, a UK-based technology company that gathers, interprets and republishes publicly available planning application data from local authority websites. Our mission is to make planning information clearer and more accessible so that communities can engage meaningfully with local development.

What we do

We collect planning application records already in the public domain. We clean, structure and enrich that information using artificial-intelligence (AI) techniques such as natural-language processing, tagging and geocoding. We then publish the enriched data on our websites so the public can search, filter and understand planning activity more easily than on council portals.

Data we process

Category Typical fields Source
Application details Reference number, description of works, site address, proposal status, key dates Local-authority planning portals
Parties involved Applicant name and (where published) address, agent company and staff names, case-officer name Local-authority planning portals
Metadata we add Tags (e.g. "house extension", "tree works"), geospatial coordinates, neighbourhood and ward names, AI-generated summaries Planatom enrichment pipeline

We do not intentionally collect phone numbers, email addresses or other contact details. If they appear in the source material we attempt to redact them automatically.

Legal basis for processing

Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 we rely on Article 6(1)(e) — task carried out in the public interest. Planning applications are published by law to facilitate democratic oversight. Republishing them in a more usable form advances that same public interest by improving transparency and civic participation.

Where we enrich data with AI or analytics we rely on Article 6(1)(f) — legitimate interests. Our interests are balanced against the limited privacy impact of republishing data that is already public.

How we use AI

  • Run large-language-model classifiers to apply consistent category tags.
  • Extract key entities (streets, postcodes, decision dates) to improve search accuracy.
  • Generate plain-English summaries of complex proposals.

AI output is reviewable and can be corrected by users. No automated decision produces legal or significant effects on individuals.

Disclosure and sharing

  • Anyone can view enriched planning data without registration.
  • Hosting is provided by DigitalOcean (UK datacentre) and Vercel (EU region).
  • We never sell personal data.

International transfers

We use subprocessors (e.g. Cloudflare, Vercel, OpenAI) that may transfer limited data outside the UK/EU under approved mechanisms such as EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

Data retention

Planning records form part of the public historical record, so we retain them indefinitely unless the source authority removes or corrects the record, or we uphold an erasure/redaction request.

Your rights

You may:

  • Access - request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Rectify - ask us to correct inaccurate data.
  • Erase / Redact - request removal or anonymisation of personal data.
  • Restrict - ask us to pause processing while a dispute is resolved.
  • Object - object to processing based on public-interest or legitimate-interest grounds.
  • Complain - lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Important: Because planning data is published in the public interest, we may decline to remove information essential to understanding an application (e.g. site address). We will, however, routinely redact names and reduce addresses to the outward postcode (e.g. "SK10 3") when a valid request is received.

How to request redaction or erasure

Submit the online form at planatom.com/data-requests and provide:

  1. The planning application reference or URL.
  2. The personal data you want removed or anonymised.
  3. Proof of your identity and connection to the data (e.g. applicant, agent, case officer).

We aim to respond within 30 days. If we refuse, we will explain why and outline your right to complain to the ICO.

Cookies and Analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies (like local storage) on our websites (for example stockportplanning.co.uk) to:

  • Enable essential site functionality (session management, security).
  • Remember your preferences (language, display settings).
  • Gather anonymous usage data to improve our service.

    • What cookies we set

    NamePurposeDuration
    _posthog_session_id Anonymous session identifier for PostHog analytics Session
    _posthog_device_id Persistent device identifier for PostHog analytics 1 year

    PostHog analytics

    We use PostHog to collect aggregate, anonymous metrics such as page views, click events and session duration. We do not capture your name, email or other personal identifiers in analytics.

    Managing cookies

    You can control or disable cookies via your browser settings. Disabling non-essential cookies may affect site functionality.

    Changes to this policy

    We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in law or our practices. We will post the revised version and, where appropriate, notify registered users.

    Children

    Our service is not aimed at children and we do not knowingly process children's personal data.

    Changes to this policy

    We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in law or our practices. We will post the revised version and, where appropriate, notify registered users.