Frequently Asked Questions

Maplify is a UK property and land intelligence platform giving instant access to over 265 official government data layers, including HM Land Registry boundaries, flood risk zones, planning designations, heritage constraints, environmental designations and ground risk data. Property professionals use it for site screening, due diligence and property research.

Maplify is used by property developers, planning consultants, architects, surveyors, solicitors and conveyancers, landowners, investors, self-builders, local authorities and housing associations — anyone who needs to quickly understand the constraints affecting a piece of land.

Yes. The free plan lets you view all property constraints on the interactive map, search locations, toggle data layers and click to query constraint information, with 20 free searches per week. Paid Professional and Enterprise plans add saved searches, unlimited report generation, the Dashboard pipeline and team features.

Maplify covers England and Wales. HM Land Registry INSPIRE data is available for both countries; Environment Agency flood data covers England; Natural England and Historic England datasets cover England, with some Welsh-specific datasets included where available. Coverage varies by individual dataset — check the relevant data layer for its exact extent.

Search using a postcode (e.g. SW1A 1AA), a full address, an OS National Grid reference (e.g. TQ 123 456), a what3words location, a Land Registry title number, or latitude/longitude coordinates. Type your search into the search bar and select from the results.

No account is required to view the map and property constraints. A free account lets you save searches and drawings. Paid plans unlock report generation, the Dashboard pipeline and advanced tools.

Yes, Maplify is fully responsive and works in any modern mobile browser, though for detailed site work a larger screen is recommended for the best experience.

No. Maplify runs entirely in your browser — there is nothing to download or install.

Maplify displays the HM Land Registry INSPIRE Index Polygons, which show the extent and location of registered land and property in England and Wales. Each polygon represents a registered title and displays its title number. This dataset is updated monthly by HM Land Registry.

Maplify shows property boundaries and title numbers from the INSPIRE Index, not ownership names. Ownership details are available by purchasing the official title register from HM Land Registry using the title number shown on the map, or through our Land Registry Search tool.

Land Registry boundaries are only rendered from zoom level 17 and above, in line with the underlying data's licensing requirements. Zoom in closer to your area of interest and the property boundaries will appear.

No. The INSPIRE Index Polygons show the general extent of registered titles and are indicative, not legally definitive boundaries. For boundary disputes or precise legal measurements, order the official title plan directly from HM Land Registry.

HM Land Registry publishes updated INSPIRE Index Polygons monthly. New registrations and boundary amendments are reflected in the following month's release, and Maplify refreshes shortly after each release.

Yes — from a property boundary you can order the official HM Land Registry title register and title plan documents directly, without needing to use the government portal separately.

A title number is the unique reference HM Land Registry assigns to a registered piece of land or property. It is used to order official documents and to identify a specific parcel unambiguously.

No. Some land, particularly land that has not changed hands for a long time, remains unregistered. Unregistered land will not appear as a polygon in the INSPIRE Index.

Environment Agency data including Flood Zone 2 (medium probability), Flood Zone 3 (high probability), Risk of Flooding from Surface Water, Risk of Flooding from Reservoirs and the Historic Flood Map showing past flood events.

Flood Zone 2 covers land with between 0.1% and 1% annual probability of river flooding. Flood Zone 3 covers land with a greater than 1% annual probability of river flooding, or greater than 0.5% for sea flooding. Zone 3 sites generally face more stringent planning requirements.

It depends on the zone and use. Flood Zone 2 developments over 1 hectare typically require a Flood Risk Assessment; Flood Zone 3 requires an FRA for all developments and the Sequential Test must usually be passed. Always confirm current requirements with your local planning authority.

Environment Agency flood maps are based on hydraulic modelling and are indicative risk areas, not guaranteed flood extents. Local factors such as drainage and flood defences can affect actual risk. For material decisions, commission a site-specific Flood Risk Assessment.

Surface water flooding happens when rainfall cannot drain away fast enough through the ground or drainage systems, causing water to pool. It can affect properties well outside river or coastal flood zones, and is shown as a separate layer on Maplify.

Flood risk can affect the availability and cost of buildings and contents insurance. Checking a property's flood zone before purchase helps you budget for insurance and understand whether flood resilience measures may be needed.

Green Belt, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (National Landscapes), National Parks, Agricultural Land Classification, Article 4 Directions, Housing Allocations and Brownfield Land, sourced from planning.data.gov.uk and local planning authorities.

Development in the Green Belt is strictly controlled under national planning policy. Most new buildings are considered inappropriate unless "very special circumstances" are demonstrated. Always check current national and local planning policy before assuming a use is or isn't permitted.

An Article 4 Direction removes specific permitted development rights in a defined area. Where one applies, you will need full planning permission for changes that would otherwise not require it. Always read the actual direction document for the exact rights affected.

Brownfield land is previously developed land. National planning policy generally favours reusing brownfield sites for new housing over greenfield land, so identifying brownfield status can be relevant to a site's development prospects.

ALC grades land from 1 (excellent) to 5 (very poor) based on its agricultural quality. Best and Most Versatile land (Grades 1–3a) is given extra protection in planning policy, which can affect the likelihood of non-agricultural development being approved.

Use our Planning Application Finder tool from the map toolbar to search for current and historic planning applications in the surrounding area.

Listed Buildings (Grade I, II* and II), Conservation Areas, Scheduled Monuments, Registered Parks and Gardens, and World Heritage Sites, sourced from Historic England and local planning authorities.

Listed Buildings are legally protected for their special architectural or historic interest. Any works affecting the character of a listed building — internal or external — require Listed Building Consent in addition to any planning permission needed.

Permitted development rights are restricted, trees are protected, and demolition generally requires consent. Some local authorities apply an additional Article 4 Direction on top of standard conservation area controls.

A Scheduled Monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building given protection under law. Scheduled Monument Consent is required for almost any works affecting it, including below-ground disturbance.

A TPO makes it a criminal offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot or wilfully damage a protected tree without the local planning authority's written consent. Consent can be applied for, but is not guaranteed.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Areas of Conservation, Ancient Woodland, Nature Reserves, Nitrate Vulnerable Zones and Source Protection Zones, sourced from Natural England and the Environment Agency.

A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a legally protected area notified for its wildlife, geology or landforms. Development affecting an SSSI, or within its Impact Risk Zone, typically requires consultation with Natural England.

Land continuously wooded since at least 1600 AD in England. It is treated as an irreplaceable habitat under national planning policy, and development resulting in its loss is normally refused unless wholly exceptional circumstances apply.

An area around a groundwater source (such as a borehole or spring used for drinking water) where development is more tightly controlled to protect water quality. Zone 1 is closest to the source and carries the strictest controls.

Areas designated because nitrate from agriculture is at risk of polluting water. Farmers within an NVZ must follow specific rules on fertiliser and manure use, which can be relevant to agricultural land purchases.

Coal Mining Development High Risk Areas, historic landfill and contaminated land indicators, BGS radon potential, and geology and ground stability datasets from the Coal Authority and British Geological Survey.

An area identified by the Coal Authority where coal mining legacy may affect development. A Coal Mining Risk Assessment is usually required with planning applications in these areas, and the Coal Authority must normally be consulted.

BGS data shows the estimated probability of properties in an area exceeding the radon Action Level. It is an area-level indicator, not a measurement for an individual property — a physical radon test is the only way to confirm levels at a specific address.

A register maintained by local authorities of land formally determined as contaminated under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act. It only reflects land officially investigated and designated, not all potentially contaminated sites.

Roads, railways, HS2 safeguarded land, and Public Rights of Way including footpaths, bridleways and byways, helping you understand access and any statutory safeguarding affecting a site.

Maplify provides broadband and mobile coverage data plus a Utilities Lookup tool for checking nearby infrastructure, though for exact underground asset locations always request statutory utility searches before any groundworks.

Safeguarded land is protected from development that could prejudice the HS2 project. Planning permission is very unlikely to be granted for most new development within the safeguarded corridor without government consent.

Draw or select a site boundary on the map, then use the Reports tab to generate a Planning Constraints Report — a structured summary of every relevant constraint layer affecting that boundary, downloadable as a PDF.

Yes, the Measure tool lets you measure straight-line and multi-point distances, and the Draw tool lets you calculate the area of any polygon you draw.

The Buffer tool draws a radius around a point or shape — useful for checking, for example, which designations fall within 500m of a site boundary.

Yes, the Block Plan Export tool lets you generate an A3 landscape site location plan with your drawn boundary, suitable for planning application submissions.

Yes, the Street View tool lets you drop into ground-level imagery directly from the map to get a visual sense of a site and its surroundings.

AI Copilot lets you ask natural-language questions about a site's constraints and get a summarised answer drawn from the data layers active on the map.

Yes, the Historic Imagery tool lets you compare aerial photography of a site across different years to see how it has changed over time.

Yes, use the Share Map tool to generate a link to your current map view, including active layers and any drawn shapes, so others can see exactly what you see.

Every layer comes from an official UK data source — HM Land Registry, the Environment Agency, Natural England, Historic England, the British Geological Survey, the Coal Authority and planning.data.gov.uk among others. See our Data Sources directory for the full list.

Update frequency varies by dataset — some are monthly, others are updated as changes occur at source. See our Data Update Schedule for the expected cycle for each dataset.

No. Maplify provides indicative screening information from official sources for research and due diligence. For legally definitive information, always refer to the relevant source authority — see our Accuracy & Limitations page for a full explanation.

Please let us know via our Corrections Policy page. We investigate reported errors and, where the issue originates with Maplify's processing, correct it; where it originates with the source dataset, we flag it to the relevant authority.

Yes — our Methodology page explains how we ingest, process and display each official dataset, including our approach to accuracy and quality assurance.

Free access includes viewing all data layers, searching locations, querying constraints and basic measurements, with 20 free searches per week. Paid plans add saved searches, unlimited report generation, the Dashboard pipeline and team features — see Pricing for current details.

Yes, cancel at any time from your account settings. Access continues until the end of your current billing period, with no cancellation fee.

Yes — contact our sales team for a quote covering multi-seat and enterprise requirements.

Search credits are consumed for certain premium actions such as generating detailed intelligence on a site. Your plan includes a monthly allowance, and additional credit packs can be purchased if you need more.

Yes, you can change plans at any time from My Account. Changes take effect immediately, and billing is adjusted accordingly.

Invoices for every payment are available to download from the Billing section of My Account.

Use our Contact page or Support Centre to reach the Maplify team — we aim to respond to all enquiries promptly.