Planning permit data has always been one of Mapview’s core datasets. But until now, the data reflected what councils published, which could lag the real world by weeks. Today we’re detailing the infrastructure work we’ve completed to bring planning permit status updates within hours of council action, across all major Australian councils.
The Problem With Stale Permit Data
A planning application moves through several stages: lodgement, referral, notification, assessment, decision, and appeal. For a property professional, the difference between “application lodged” and “permit granted” is enormous, it affects valuations, acquisition decisions, and development feasibility assessments.
When that status change takes two weeks to appear in a third-party system, decisions get made on outdated information. We built the real-time tracking infrastructure to eliminate that lag.
How the Dashboard Works
The Planning Permits tab in any property panel now shows the full lifecycle of every permit associated with that address:
- Application reference: council-issued application number with a direct link to the council portal
- Current status: lodged, advertised, decided, appealed, or lapsed
- Key dates: lodgement date, notification period, decision date
- Permit description: what was applied for, in plain language where the council provides it
- Applicant: the applicant name on record (where publicly available)
- Decision details: approved, refused, approved with conditions; conditions listed where published
For properties with multiple applications over time, the full history is shown in chronological order.
Filtering and Area Views
Beyond individual properties, you can now view planning activity across an area:
- Switch to Area mode using the toolbar above the map
- Draw a polygon or select a suburb boundary
- Open the Planning panel on the right to see all permits within the area, with status filters
This is particularly useful for:
- Developers monitoring competitive development activity in a target precinct
- Planners auditing the volume and type of applications in their council area
- Agents identifying upcoming supply in a suburb before it hits the market
Data Coverage and Freshness
Planning permit data is sourced directly from council planning portals, state government PDNA (Planning and Development Network Australia) feeds, and VCAT/SAT/QCAT tribunal records for appeals.
Current sync intervals:
| State | Major councils | Regional councils |
|---|---|---|
| VIC | 4–8 hours | 12–24 hours |
| NSW | 4–8 hours | 12–24 hours |
| QLD | 8–12 hours | 24–48 hours |
| SA | 8–12 hours | 24–48 hours |
| WA | 12–24 hours | 24–48 hours |
We’re working to bring all councils to sub-12-hour sync intervals by end of year.
Access
Anyone can see permit counts and the most recent application for any property in the app. Full permit history and area views can be unlocked through in-app purchases.
Explore all features or see pricing for in-app purchase options.
