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For applicants and agents

Check your planning application before you submit

For householders, architects, planning agents and small developers. Upload your documents and see within a minute what a validation officer would ask for, document by document, with the rule behind each point.
Try it with an application Find your council’s page

What you get

Fewer surprises after you submit

  • The documents your council asks for, for your type of application, with what each must show
  • Site constraints at your address before anything is drawn: conservation area, listed building, Article 4 direction, protected trees, flood zone
  • A hint when permitted development might apply, with the rule; never a promise
  • Each upload checked within a minute: what is in order and what isn’t, in plain English, and how to fix it
  • A check report with a short code to attach to your submission

Cost

Free for applicants when your council uses it

Your council pays for ValidFirst, so the check costs you nothing. It doesn’t change the planning fee and doesn’t replace the Planning Portal.

Householders

Know before you submit whether your drawings and forms are complete, so the decision clock starts sooner.

Architects and agents

One check against the national requirements and the council's local list, before your client's application goes in.

Small developers

The same check for full applications, prior approvals and lawful development certificates.

After the check

Then submit as usual

  1. 01

    Download the check report

    It lists each document and what the check found, with a short check code.

  2. 02

    Submit through the Planning Portal

    Or the council's own route. Attach the check report, or quote the code in your covering note.

  3. 03

    The council validates

    The validation officer sees the same findings and decides whether the application is valid.

Your documents. They are stored and checked in Europe, seen only by you, the people you invite and the council’s officers, and deleted after the period the council sets. Privacy notice.

Your council

Start with your council’s page

Type a postcode or the council’s name. If your council uses ValidFirst, you can start a check straight away; if not, you can try it on the national requirements.

308 planning authorities in England.

Questions

What applicants ask

Questions about your application itself go to your council’s planning team. All application types

Does a good check mean my application is valid?
No. The council’s validation officer decides whether an application is valid, and planning permission is a separate decision after that. The check tells you what is likely to be asked for, so you can fix it before you submit.
Do I have to use it?
No. It is optional. You can submit through the Planning Portal or to the council as you always have.
What if I think a finding is wrong?
You can dispute it with a short reason and still submit. The validation officer sees your note next to the finding.
My council isn’t using ValidFirst yet. Can I still try it?
Yes. Every council in England has a page that runs on the national requirements and the real site constraints at your postcode. Your council’s own local list is added only when it joins, so check its local validation list on its website too.
Can my architect or agent work on the same application?
Yes. Invite them by email to add the drawings to your application.