Plan✕ privacy policy



Plan✕ is run by Open Systems Lab on behalf of planning authorities to handle planning information and services. This sometimes includes handling sensitive or personal data (such as your name, your address etc). We do not control what data is collected, or how planning authorities use your data.

This privacy policy explains how we process data that you provide through Plan✕. 

To find out more about how your local planning authority uses personal data you provide to them via Plan✕, please refer to the Privacy Notice displayed on each service, their website, or contact them directly.




Our role


For the purposes of personal data as defined by Data Protection Regulations, the relevant planning authority is the ‘data controller’ and we are are a ‘data processor’. This means we do not control what personal data is collected, how it is used, or how long it is kept for. We follow instructions given to us by planning authorities as part of our agreement with them.

We may also use ‘sub processors’ in order to provide third party services such as hosting, security, testing, feedback and analytics, provided those services are consistent with the instructions that we have been given by planning authorities about how to handle personal data.



Types of data and what we do with it


Type of data What is it? What we do with it
Personal data Data about an identified or identifiable person. e.g your name, your address, your email address etc Personal data is encrypted, stored and passed on to your planning authority, then deleted as soon as we are permitted to. OSL will not share your personal data with any other third party except a subprocessor bound by the same terms, nor will we use it for any other purpose.
Sensitive data Drawings or data about your property, proposals or application which a planning authority has classified as potentially sensitive, eg for security reasons  Sensitive data is treated in the same way as personal data.
Other data Data about the property, the project, the application, the applicant or their journey through the service, eg the amount of time it took to complete the service We may use this data to analyse the way the services are used in order to make improvements, or to provide insights to planning authorities and/or the public.
Feedback data  Information provided by users about an issue they have encountered. This may include information about where they were in the the service and data about their device, but does not include personal data or data identifying a specific property.  We filter and log all feedback and use it to improve the service. This log may be published.
Traffic data  Data about the usage of the service. This may include your device’s IP address, which is personal data.  This data is collected by a load management service and, in the case of personal data, deleted automatically (usually within minutes).



Where your data is processed and stored


All data submitted via Plan✕ is processed and stored within the UK. 


How your data is protected


We design, build and operate our systems to make sure that your data is as safe as possible at all stages, both while it’s processed, stored and passed on to planning authorities. This includes using encryption and tight access controls.


Your rights


You have the right to request:

  • information about how your personal data is processed
  • a copy of that personal data
  • that anything inaccurate in your personal data is corrected immediately

You can also:

  • raise an objection about how your personal data is processed
  • request that your personal data is erased if there is no longer a justification for it
  • ask that the processing of your personal data is restricted in certain circumstances

We are not the controllers of this data. So the best way to make any of these requests is to contact your local planning authority directly.


Changes to this policy


We may change this privacy policy at any time. Any changes to this privacy policy will apply to you and your data immediately.


Contacts us or make a complaint


If you have a question about any of this, would like to make a complaint or report a suspected breach, please contact Open Systems Lab via our website here︎︎︎. 




Open Systems Lab