Evidence
Where our numbers come from
Every headline figure on the applywell site is sourced. We list the references here so readers can sanity-check the claim, and so we have a paper trail behind every number we use in advertising. If you spot a figure we've missed or a source that needs updating, email hello@applywell.co.uk.
“Up to 45% of UK planning applications are bounced before any officer reads them.”
The figure refers to the proportion of householder applications returned to applicants as 'invalid' for missing or non-conforming documents, before any planning judgement is made. The strongest source is the UK Government's Local Digital programme: their 'Reducing Invalid Planning Applications' alpha project — funded by what was then DLUHC — opens with the problem statement that 'about 50% of planning applications that councils receive are invalid.' Industry write-ups (Planda, RTPI, PAS) cite the same range — typically 30–50% with conservation-area boroughs at the higher end. We say 'up to 45%' to land in the upper-mid of that range without overclaiming.
- Local Digital (UK Gov) — Reducing Invalid Planning Applications (alpha) →
- GOV.UK — Live tables on planning application statistics →
- GOV.UK — Planning Applications Process: Final Report (PDF) →
- Planda — Invalid Planning Applications: top reasons →
The Local Digital project page describes the 'about 50% invalid' figure as the problem statement for their gov-funded research. Our 'up to 45%' is deliberately conservative against that.
“Planning consultants typically charge £3,000–£4,500 for a routine householder retainer.”
The range covers a brief approval-likelihood report (£800–£1,200), a validation pre-flight (often skipped or charged hourly), per-LPA policy citations, and decision-letter analysis (£200–£500). Total assumes 20–25 hours at £150–£200/hr typical for a chartered planning consultant in 2025. Bigger / contested cases run materially higher; small Lawful Development Certificate cases run lower.
The £49 vs £4,000 comparison is illustrative of routine cases — not a guarantee that applywell can replace a consultant on contested or heritage cases. We say so explicitly in the product.
“From postcode to plain-English verdict in five minutes.”
Measured on production: median end-to-end time for a quick-check (postcode lookup → designation pull → AI analysis → verdict) is under 60 seconds. Full drawing analysis (vision over 4–8 sheets) typically completes in 2–4 minutes. We round up to '5 minutes' to set a realistic expectation, including the time the user spends typing inputs.
“Built on planning.data.gov.uk, ONS, postcodes.io, NPPF 2023, GPDO Class A.”
Live data sources we read at request time. Designations (Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings, Article 4 Directions, TPOs, World Heritage Sites) come from planning.data.gov.uk. Postcode → LPA mapping comes from postcodes.io / ONS. Policy text — the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the General Permitted Development Order — is taken from the published government documents.
“300+ UK Local Planning Authorities covered.”
The applywell LPA registry currently lists every Local Planning Authority in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland that has a published Local Plan and a planning portal — derived from the planning.data.gov.uk authority register. The exact count fluctuates as authorities merge (e.g. North Yorkshire 2023, Cumbria 2023). 300+ is the conservative floor.
“Two architects can run twice as many active jobs in the same hours / replaces the 60% of time spent on planning admin.”
This is a working estimate, not measured pilot data. It is built on founder interviews with UK householder-architects who self-report 50–70% of their week absorbed by planning paperwork — chasing engineer drawings, copying policy refs into a Design & Access Statement, mapping decision-letter conditions to discharge plans, validating against per-LPA lists. If applywell automates that block end-to-end, the same architect freeing 50% of their week could in principle take on close to 2× the active caseload before quality drops. We say 'twice as many' because that's what the maths implies; we do not yet have a published pilot study to ground it. Treat the figure as an aspirational ceiling, not a guarantee.
- RIBA — Plan of Work and time-use research →
- RIBA — Practice and profession research →
- RIBA Architects' Council Survey (annual time-use data) →
If you'd like to be in our first measured pilot to put a real number against this figure, email hello@applywell.co.uk — we want defensible data.
“Statutory UK planning facts cited around the site — 8-week determination, 12-week appeal, £258 householder application fee, £129 Lawful Development Certificate, £120 Larger Home Extension prior approval, mandatory 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (April 2024).”
These are taken directly from UK legislation and government publications, not estimated. The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 sets statutory determination periods. Application fees come from the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) Regulations 2012 as amended in December 2023. Biodiversity Net Gain is set by the Environment Act 2021, Schedule 7A, brought into force for major developments in February 2024 and small sites in April 2024.
We try to keep this page honest. If a number changes — or you find a better source — please tell us. We'll update the page and any places on the site that cite it.