Everyone working in planning and development knows the system is under pressure. Determination timescales are stretching. Section 106 agreements are stalling long after committee approval. Policy frameworks, local ones in particular, are adding friction at every stage.
These aren't controversial observations. Ask anyone in the industry and they'll tell you the same thing, in roughly the same words, with roughly the same frustration.
The problem is that frustration isn't evidence. And without evidence, the conversation stays exactly where it is.
Turning Anecdote Into Data
That's why LandTech has partnered with the Land, Planning and Development Federation (LPDF) to launch a quarterly planning pulse survey: a regular, structured snapshot of where the planning system is performing and where it isn't, drawn from the people who work inside it every day.
The survey asks planning consultants, developers, promoters and housebuilders to identify where their projects are facing the most significant delays, from pre-application through to Section 106 and appeals. Responses are aggregated quarterly, building a dataset that tracks how conditions change over time and gives the industry something it has long lacked: a consistent, comparable evidence base.
We're launching at UKREiiF 2026, where LandTech will be present throughout the event at High Hat Corner.
What the Early Data Is Already Showing
We've been collecting preliminary responses ahead of the launch, and the patterns are already clear.
Determination is the single most cited blocker in the system, named by over a third of respondents. At Section 106 stage, LPA resourcing is the dominant issue, cited by 79% of respondents as the primary cause of delays. And when it comes to policy friction, local frameworks are outpacing national policy as a source of blockages, by a margin of 64% to 36%.
None of this will surprise anyone working in development. But that's exactly the point. The industry has been saying this for years. Now we're building the data to prove it.
Add Your Voice
The survey takes under two minutes. The more complete the dataset, the stronger the case for change, and the harder it becomes for policymakers to look the other way.
Full findings will be published following UKREiiF, with quarterly reports to follow.
