Cost of Membership – FAQ

For answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs), please view below:

How do the categories "1-4 employees", "5-9 employees", "10-19 employees" and "20 or more employees" apply:

  • The above categories apply based on the total number of employees within your organisation, rather than the number of employees who intend to use the Planning Jungle website. This is illustrated by the following examples:
  • Example: If your organisation consists of (say) 2 planners and 4 other staff, then the above category "5-9 employees" would apply, even if fewer than 5 of your staff intend to use the Planning Jungle website. As such, the cost would be £100 for 1 year.
  • Example: If your organisation consists of (say) 4 planners and 8 other staff, then the above category "10-19 employees" would apply, even if fewer than 10 of your staff intend to use the Planning Jungle website. As such, the cost would be £200 for 1 year.
  • Example: If your organisation consists of (say) 8 planners and 16 other staff, then the above category "20 or more employees" would apply, even if fewer than 20 of your staff intend to use the Planning Jungle website. As such, the cost would be £300 for 1 year.
  • Note: The term "organisation" refers to your overall organisation (i.e. your limited company, LLP, etc), rather than a department, team, etc within your organisation.
  • Note: For a "Local Authority" there is a fixed cost of £300 for 1 year.
  • Note: All membership options cover all employees within the organisation or local authority.
  • All membership options provide full access to all of the benefits of the Planning Jungle website, as described on the "Benefits of Membership" page.
  • Note: If you want to purchase a membership for your own personal use (e.g. for an extension at your own property), and the membership will not be used for any work on behalf of any organisation, then please purchase the membership marked "1-4 employees", for which the cost would be £50 for 1 year.
  • Note: It’s not possible to purchase a membership on behalf of a network, forum, or other similar type of group.

Why is the cost of membership based on the size of the overall organisation, rather than on the number of employees who intend to use the Planning Jungle website:

  • A larger organisation is likely to have a much higher turnover than a smaller organisation, and therefore it's considered fairer that the former should pay a higher membership fee than the latter.
  • For example, a sole trader would pay £50 for 1 year, whereas an organisation with "20 or more employees" for which only 1 employee intends to use the Planning Jungle website would pay £300 for 1 year. However, it should be noted that £300 for the larger organisation is still likely to be a more minor expenditure than £50 for the sole trader.
  • Furthermore, for both the sole trader and the larger organisation, the ability for no extra cost to view more than 6,000 appeal decision notices can very quickly justify the annual cost of membership, particularly noting that it's possible to pay £114 (i.e. £95 + VAT) for a single appeal decision notice elsewhere.

What if the size your organisation changes during your membership period:

  • The cost of membership is based on the size of your organisation at the time when your membership starts.
  • Example: If you purchase a 1 year membership for (say) "1-4 employees" and your organisation increases to 5-9 employees during this 1 year period, then you're welcome to continue using the membership for the remainder of this 1 year period. Of course, at the end of this 1 year period, if your organisation still has 5-9 employees and you would like to renew your membership, then please purchase a 1 year membership for "5-9" employees.
  • Example: If you purchase a 1 year membership for "5-9 employees" and your organisation decreases to 1-4 employees during this 1 year period, then please note that you wouldn't be eligible for a partial refund (or similar). Of course, at the end of this 1 year period, if your organisation still has 1-4 employees and you would like to renew your membership, then you would be able to purchase a 1 year membership for "1-4" employees.

What if it's unclear what cost would apply to your organisation:

  • Please contact "Steve Speed" at the email address shown on the "Our Registered Details, and Contact Us" page, providing information about the nature of your organisation (e.g. total number of employees, etc).

Are there any restrictions on the number of employees who can access the Planning Jungle website concurrently:

  • There are no restrictions on the number of employees who can access the Planning Jungle website concurrently. This means that there will never be a situation where some of your employees can’t use the website because other employees are using it at the same time.

Are there any extra costs relating to any of the information on the Planning Jungle website:

  • There are no extra costs relating to any of the information on the Planning Jungle website.
  • For example, for no extra cost, members are entitled to sign up to the "Updates by Email (weekly)" service (i.e. the weekly newsletter), which enables them to keep fully up-to-date with the issues covered by the Planning Jungle website. To view a sample version of this weekly newsletter, please click here.
  • For example, for no extra cost, members can view more than 6,000 appeal decision notices on the Planning Jungle website.
  • All membership options provide full access to all of the benefits of the Planning Jungle website, as described on the "Benefits of Membership" page.

Is it possible to ask questions about schemes, interpretations, etc:

  • Please note that the Planning Jungle website can not provide comments on schemes, or discuss interpretations, etc, as this isn't part of the service that's provided. Instead, members benefit from full access to all of the information on the website, as described on the "Benefits of Membership" page. Please note that the Planning Jungle website does not undertake consultancy work, either as part of the membership service or as a separate service.

How easy or difficult is it to use the documents on the Planning Jungle website:

  • Most of the documents on the Planning Jungle website are relatively technical documents. As such, most members of the Planning Jungle website are local authorities, planning consultants, and developers, rather than members of the public.
  • For example, the "Part 1 of the GPDO - GENERAL Appeal Decisions" document currently has more than 3,000 pages, including a "Reference Section" with more than 250 pages. Although significant efforts have been made to try to simplify this document (as far as possible), it remains a relatively technical document (and relatively time-consuming to use) because it contains the conclusions of more than 1,500 appeal decisions.
  • Having said the above, some members of the public do purchase a membership - for example, applicants or objectors who are willing to spend several hours researching a particular interpretation.

Does the Planning Jungle website cover the Welsh, Scottish, or Northern Irish versions of legislation:

  • The Planning Jungle website only covers the English version of legislation. For example, all of the appeal decisions within the "Part 1 of the GPDO - GENERAL Appeal Decisions" document only relate to the English version of the legislation. Similarly, all of the consolidated versions of legislation on the website only relate to the English version of the legislation.
  • At present, there are no plans to expand the website to cover the Welsh, Scottish, or Northern Irish versions of legislation.

Is it possible to have a free trial to the Planning Jungle website:

  • At present, there are no plans to introduce an option for a free trial to the Planning Jungle website.
  • For non-members who would like to sample the types of documents that are produced by Planning Jungle Limited, please view the "Free Documents" page.

Any other questions about membership: