Planning Data, Maps and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
The information on this page sets out the intended use, limitations and capture methods of all GIS based planning data displayed on this website.
Intended Use
GIS based planning data is made available to provide a generalised location on the ground of the associated data. It is not intended to replace the site plans, policies or other legally binding data that is held by the council in hard copy. Where possible, we will provide a link to a scanned copy of the original.
Capture Methods
The council makes use of Ordnance Surveys MasterMap data. This data contains pre-captured features such as roads, footpaths, buildings and rivers as polygons. The use of this type of mapping data enables council officers to capture a planning data by visually comparing the hard copy to the map features and then by tracing or copying onto the GIS. This provides a highly accurate representation of the boundary which can then be linked to other web pages, for example the online planning register.
In rural areas this may be difficult to accomplish as field boundaries are further apart than with urban buildings and gardens. If we are unable to use the above method, a scanned version of the site plan will be added into the councils GIS and accurately traced.
In order to identify the land affected by the planning application, we will only capture the area that is outlined in red of any site, block or location plan.
The National Validation Criteria requires that other land owned by the applicant which is close to the site is outlined in blue. These areas are not captured. There may be other areas included on the plan that the applicant may feel important to the application, for example rights of way or easements. These areas will not be captured.
Limitations of Use
The GIS record of a planning application is created only to aid the location of the planning application by map. It is not to be used as evidence of the planning unit, current use or for any other purposes.
During the planning applications life, the council may associate additional meaning to the application when viewed on the councils GIS mapping or other data systems, for example listing only those applications at a location that are awaiting a decision by the council. This is to aid users in finding applications that are relevant to their search. This does not imply that there are no other planning applications on site and there are other non-map based ways of researching these applications. Where this happens to data a prominent notice will be provided.
The Council will create, edit and amend data to ensure it is as accurate as possible and fit for purpose before, during and after its publication.
Pre-2005 planning data
Planning applications prior to 2005 are not currently available online via GIS. Users can search our online planning register for planning applications going back to 1983.
Tree Preservation Orders
Tree Preservation Orders (TPO's) are not currently available online. This is an ongoing project and when available will be used to locate the TPO record on the GIS. A scanned image of the original TPO Schedule will also be linked from the data when available.
Conservation Areas
Most of the boroughs Planning Conservation Areas were created in the late 1960's and a large proportion of these are in rural areas or villages. Around this period Ordnance Survey used maps based on original 1850's County surveys, periodically updated and the conservation areas where captured in GIS against this mapping.
With the development of modern technology, the mapping was found to have serious flaws in the rural areas. In March 2006 Ordnance Survey completed its Positional Accuracy Improvement programme (PAI) which has corrected these flaws.
When the Conservation Areas where overlaid against the new PAI mapping data, significant errors were discovered requiring the recapture of the Conservation Areas. This has now been carried out using the capture methods described above. To further complicate matters, a Conservation Area will have naturally had features change or disapear over the passage of the last 40-50 years. Therefore the Conservation Areas shown on the GIS are based on an individual officer's assessment of where the boundary for the Conservation Area actually is.
Third Party Data
The council makes use of data that has been captured and provided to the council by third parties. An example would be the English Heritage Statutory Listed Buildings data set. Where data is provided in this way, we will take reasonable steps to review the data for inaccuracies before publishing online.