Roadmap
Manage is the internal service the Planning Data team uses to get data onto planning.data.gov.uk. It replaces manual, script-based steps with guided processes for adding data and assigning entities.
Our aim is for Manage to become the one place for everything to do with data entering the pipeline. The specification will continue to define the shape of the data, and Manage will control how data gets in.
Our plans can change based on what we learn from our users and from testing. We aim to update this roadmap every 3 months.
Last updated October 2026. Next update due January 2027.
Our goal
Anyone on the team can get data onto the platform quickly, safely and consistently, without needing to edit configuration files by hand.
What this means for you
Manage is an internal service used by the Planning Data team.
If you manage data for the platform, you'll experience:
- Clearer processes: every page will explain what it does and why, so new team members can pick up the work quickly.
- Less reliance on GitHub: configuration will live in a database behind Manage, not in CSV files you have to edit and commit.
- Consistent checks: the same safeguards, like duplicate detection, will apply however you add or change data.
- Fewer manual steps: submissions from councils will come straight to you, and clean data will eventually go onto the platform without needing a review.
Our progress so far
February 2026
Add data through Manage
You can now add a new endpoint through a guided process in Manage instead of editing configuration by hand. Manage handles column mapping, entity organisation and lookups for you. It shows your data on a map before you confirm, and warns you if the data is too large.
April 2026
Retire endpoints and compare with the platform
You can now retire endpoints and sources within the same provision while adding new data. The Transform page shows how your data compares with what's already on the platform, and handles large datasets by splitting them into pages.
June 2026
Assign entities and pick up council submissions
You can now assign entities to data in batches. When a council submits an endpoint through Check and Provide, a link pre-fills the Add Data form with their details, so you don't need to re-enter them. Configuration changes are now committed automatically once you confirm, and the Preview and Confirm page is simpler as a result.
July 2026
Spot duplicates and see data on a map
When you assign entities, Manage now detects duplicates and lets you redirect them to the existing entity, for both spatial and non-spatial data. The Transform page includes a map. The retire endpoints section gives you more context, and you can now unretire an endpoint.
August 2026
Consistent with Check and Provide
Manage now uses the same definitions of "must fix" and "needs improving" as Check and Provide, so councils and the team see the same picture of their data. Within a session, you can also see which resources you've already processed.
What we're planning to do next
By December 2026
Clearer pages for new team members
We're reviewing the design of Manage, which we built quickly as a proof of concept. Every page in the Add Data and Assign Entities processes will include a description of what it does. This will make it easier for new team members to learn the service and use it confidently.
Configuration in a database
We'll create a database behind Manage to hold the configuration that currently lives in the config repository. That's 16 files for each of our 55 collections, covering endpoints, sources, column mappings, lookups and more. For a while, changes will be written to both the database and GitHub until we're confident they match.
Council submissions come straight to Manage
When a council submits an endpoint through Check and Provide, it will appear on a dashboard in Manage instead of as a Jira ticket. Councils will get emails through GOV.UK Notify when we receive their data and when it's being processed. You'll be able to message them if you find a problem they need to fix.
By March 2027
Edit configuration directly
You'll be able to edit each configuration table directly in Manage. That covers quick fixes like retiring an endpoint or correcting a single value, without going through the full Add Data process or editing files in GitHub.
Do more through Add Data
With configuration in a database, Add Data will be able to handle more of it, like filters and default values, so fewer changes need to be made by hand. We'll also bring Add Data and Assign Entities into line, so the same checks apply whichever you use. For example, duplicate detection, which currently only happens in Assign Entities, will also happen in Add Data.
From April 2027
Switch the pipeline to Manage
Once the database and GitHub have matched for long enough, the pipeline will read configuration directly from Manage and we'll stop using the config repository.
Automatic adding for clean data
If a council's data passes all our checks, comes from an authoritative source, and has no duplicates or endpoints to retire, it will go through automatically, ready for that night's pipeline run. You won't need to review it.
One place for everything entering the pipeline
We'll explore adding editors for other parts of the pipeline, including reporting, the collections Airflow runs each night, and setting up new datasets and collections. For example, once a new dataset is added to the specification, you'd be able to set up its collection, add the first endpoint and create the files it needs, all from within Manage. This work is currently a manual, Python-based process.
More information
For more information about this work, contact the Collecting & Managing Data team.