Can you use Google Maps for planning applications?

No, Google Maps is not suitable as the formal map for a planning application. It’s a useful tool, but it’s not going to provide the detail you want, or the authority that the planners need.

Google Maps can be useful for looking at a site, checking nearby roads, or sharing a quick visual reference. But when you submit a planning application, the local planning authority will expect a properly scaled, up-to-date, licensed plan – one that’s based on Ordnance Survey mapping.

A planning map does more than show roughly where a property is. It helps the authority identify the application site clearly, understand the land included in the proposal, and validate the application.

For most planning applications, you will usually need:

• A location plan, often at 1:1250 or 1:2500 scale

• A site plan or block plan, often at 1:100, 1:200 or 1:500 scale

• The application site edged clearly in red

• Any other nearby land in the applicant’s ownership edged in blue, where relevant

• A north point

• The correct scale

• Enough surrounding roads, buildings or features to identify the site properly

Google Maps is designed for navigation, search and general map viewing – it may not show the right level of boundary detail, and currently it doesn’t provide the OS-based licensing information that many authorities expect to see on submitted plans.

That doesn’t mean Google Maps isn’t useful – it can be a great help at the early stages, especially if you are trying to understand a site in context or explain where it is informally. But when it comes to the actual planning submission, it is safer to use a dedicated planning map based on current Ordnance Survey data.

So, can you use Google Maps for planning permission?

For informal reference, yes. For the formal planning application map, usually no. A clear, compliant location plan or block plan gives the local authority a reliable way to understand the site from the outset. If your map is wrong, unclear or unsuitable, the application may be delayed before the planning issues are even considered.

If you need a planning map for submission, MapShop gives you a straightforward way to create OS-based location plans and site/block plans at the right scale, with the tools to mark the application boundary clearly and download the plan in a suitable format.

How Emapsite can help

If you can't find exactly what you need, we can help you choose the right mapping data solution for your project via email, chat or over the phone.

For more information, reach out to our Customer Support team.

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