MCP server · Research
PlanWire MCP server
by beshogun
Search UK planning applications by council, postcode, keyword, status or date, and get details back in chat.
This is a small helper that connects your AI assistant to PlanWire, a service that collects UK planning application data. Once it is set up, you can ask your AI questions about planning applications in plain English instead of hunting through council websites. It is handy for anyone who checks planning activity for a living or as a hobby, like property people, planners, and local researchers.
What is an MCP server? The 30-second version
On its own, your AI can only chat with you. An MCP server is a small helper program that gives your AI a new skill or a connection to an outside service. This one connects your AI to PlanWire, so it can look up UK planning applications for you. When you ask a question, your AI passes it to this helper, the helper asks PlanWire, and the answer comes back into your chat.
What this MCP server does
You ask your AI something like which planning applications were refused near a postcode. Your AI sends that request to this helper, which talks to the PlanWire service using your own PlanWire key. PlanWire searches its planning data and sends back matching applications. The helper hands that back to your AI, which shows it to you in the chat as a list or a summary. You can also ask for one specific application by its PlanWire id, or for the list of councils PlanWire covers.
Click to zoomWhat you can do with it
- Search planning applications by keyword, council, postcode, status, type or date range
- Find applications near a location using latitude and longitude
- Fetch the full details of one application by its PlanWire id
- List the councils PlanWire covers and their IDs
- Filter by things like refused applications or householder extensions
- Look for applications mentioning a term like HMOs in a chosen area
Try asking your AI
- “Search PlanWire for recent planning applications in Camden.”
- “Find refused householder extensions in OX1 from the last year.”
- “What planning applications are within 1km of 51.5074, -0.1278?”
- “List the councils PlanWire covers.”
What it gives back to you
You get back a list of matching planning applications, usually with the key details for each one, or the full record when you ask about a single application. If you ask for councils, you get a list of names and IDs. Your AI then writes this up in the chat as a short summary or a table you can read. Nothing is changed on any council site, it is read only.
Before you start
What you need
- Node.js 18 or newer on your computer
- A PlanWire API key (a kind of password for apps; you can get a free sandbox key from planwire.io)
- An MCP client such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Cursor
Good to know
Free sandbox keys are capped on daily calls and result size, so heavy use may hit a limit and you may need a paid plan.
Install it with your AI
Add PlanWire MCP server to your AI, no technical skills needed
You don't install anything by hand. You copy one prompt, paste it into an AI that can work on your computer, and it checks, installs and connects the server for you, asking you when it needs something.
Sign in to get the install prompt
Members get a ready-made prompt that lets the Claude desktop app check PlanWire MCP server, install it and connect it for them, step by step. You don't need any technical skills: you copy, paste and answer a few questions. Your connected AI can also find and install any of the 4,066 MCP servers here for you.
Who it's for
Property professionals, planners, and anyone who needs to check UK planning activity without digging through council websites.
