Verifying against the live site and live WHOIS/DNS…
Common questions
Is planningportal.gov.uk legit or a scam?
AboutUs doesn't label sites "legit" or "a scam": this page lists the dated registration, DNS, HTTPS, mail-authentication and safety checks we could verify, each with its source, so you can decide for yourself.
Who owns planningportal.gov.uk?
Nobody has completed AboutUs's owner verification for planningportal.gov.uk. That's true of most sites here — it isn't itself a warning sign.
Checked in the last 30 daysOlder, dated recordFrom registration records
Registered 25 years ago · on AboutUs since 2006 · one registrar since Jul 24, 2025 · 2 ownership changes since 2014 · last checked Sep 27, 2026.
Registration
RegisteredJan 16, 2001planningportal.gov.uk was registered on Jan 16, 2001.Source: RDAP, fetched Aug 23, 2026
AboutUs record
AboutUs wiki pageAboutUs wiki pageJun 21, 2006 – Nov 6, 2013An AboutUs wiki page described planningportal.gov.uk from Jun 21, 2006 to Nov 6, 2013 (2 edits).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023
Registrar
Cloud Next LimitedCloud Next LimitedJul 24, 2025 – Oct 26, 2026 (latest)Registrar Cloud Next Limited (IANA 9000142) in the registration data recorded, first on Jul 24, 2025 and most recently on Oct 26, 2026.Source: RDAP, fetched Aug 23, 2026
Ownership
Ownership recordsJul 9, 2014 – Jun 7, 2026Registration records for planningportal.gov.uk are held from Jul 9, 2014 to Jun 7, 2026 (28 records). 2 changes of registrant name or organization are marked. Privacy-service and redaction changes are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Zone file
Nameservers: CloudflareJul 24, 2025 – Jun 3, 2026Registration records listed Cloudflare nameservers (elaine.ns.cloudflare.com, jaime.ns.cloudflare.com) for planningportal.gov.uk from Jul 24, 2025 to Jun 3, 2026.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Certificate
Google Trust ServicesApr 10, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026 (latest)Google Trust Services issued 5 certificates for planningportal.gov.uk from Apr 10, 2026, the latest valid until Jan 2, 2027. Seen in use on Sep 27, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Sep 27, 2026
20052010201520202025Apr ’26← last 12 months, drawn wider
Every dated fact on this lifeline (11)
Jan 16, 2001Registration: planningportal.gov.uk was registered on Jan 16, 2001.Source: RDAP, fetched Aug 23, 2026
Jun 21, 2006 – Nov 6, 2013AboutUs record: An AboutUs wiki page described planningportal.gov.uk from Jun 21, 2006 to Nov 6, 2013 (2 edits).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023
Jul 1, 2006AboutUs record: “Government gateway to planning information throughout the UK. Provides information on plans, appeals, applications, contact details, research areas.”Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006
Jul 9, 2014 – Jun 7, 2026Ownership: Registration records for planningportal.gov.uk are held from Jul 9, 2014 to Jun 7, 2026 (28 records). 2 changes of registrant name or organization are marked. Privacy-service and redaction changes are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Jul 24, 2025 – Oct 26, 2026Registrar: Registrar Cloud Next Limited (IANA 9000142) in the registration data recorded, first on Jul 24, 2025 and most recently on Oct 26, 2026.Source: RDAP, fetched Aug 23, 2026
Jul 24, 2025 – Jun 3, 2026Registration records listed Cloudflare nameservers (elaine.ns.cloudflare.com, jaime.ns.cloudflare.com) for planningportal.gov.uk from Jul 24, 2025 to Jun 3, 2026.
All 4 safety checks passed (Oct 26, 2026).
Automated safety checks
DNS (passed)
HTTPS (passed)
Page metadata (passed)
Security headers (passed)
Current facts
Latest available measurements; dated entries retain their dates. These are measurements, not an endorsement of the site.
latest result
Domain registered Jan 16, 2001 — 25 years old.
latest result
Registrar on record: Cloud Next Limited — unchanged since AboutUs began tracking (Sep 5, 2026).
Said about itself in 2006
Jul 1, 2006
“Government gateway to planning information throughout the UK. Provides information on plans, appeals, applications, contact details, research areas.”
Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006
Current AboutUs recordJul 4, 2026 – Aug 23, 2026 (latest)Authority and Safety last refreshed Aug 23, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
Ownership change
Aug 24, 2025
The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Aug 24, 2025. Who it changed to is in the full report.
Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Ownership changeFeb 28, 2026The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Feb 28, 2026. Who it changed to is in the full report.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
2 ownership changes, 2014–2026
Let's EncryptJul 26, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Let's Encrypt issued 2 certificates for planningportal.gov.uk from Jul 26, 2026, the latest valid until Dec 23, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Zone file:
Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Aug 24, 2025Ownership: The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Aug 24, 2025. Who it changed to is in the full report.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Feb 28, 2026Ownership: The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Feb 28, 2026. Who it changed to is in the full report.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Apr 10, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: Google Trust Services issued 5 certificates for planningportal.gov.uk from Apr 10, 2026, the latest valid until Jan 2, 2027. Seen in use on Sep 27, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Sep 27, 2026
Jul 4, 2026 – Aug 23, 2026AboutUs record: Authority and Safety last refreshed Aug 23, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
Jul 26, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: Let's Encrypt issued 2 certificates for planningportal.gov.uk from Jul 26, 2026, the latest valid until Dec 23, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
latest result
HTTPS request succeeded for www.gov.uk.
checked Sep 30, 2026
The live front page reads as a government or public-body site that is a public service, mainly for a general audience.
Authority 50/100— ahead of 50% of the August 2026 scored sampleClear
Why this authority score
50 is a percentile: higher than 50% of sites we score.
How it's calculated
Prominence (Tranco rank #266,576)+6
Verified continuity: 25.8 years (RDAP registration)+11
Security & email hygiene+2
Calibration adjustment (published map)+8
Model score: 27/99 — what these reason lines add up to.
Published Authority (percentile): 50/100 — this site's rank against the August 2026 scored sample. Public Authority is capped at 99.
Safety evidence
No unexpired threat-feed result; name-similarity check available (recorded about 64 days ago); 3/3 transport and email checks available (oldest recorded about 64 days ago). This is evidence coverage, not a probability that a website is safe.
No MX and no DMARC (mild)
What planningportal.gov.uk said about itself, 2006
Quoted from the site's AboutUs wiki page in each year it changed (1 version). These are the page's own words at the time, not AboutUs's assessment. New words · dropped words
2006
Government gateway to planning information throughout the UK. Provides information on plans, appeals, applications, contact details, research areas.
Site history
Dated record — historical facts always carry their date.