TerraQuest Solutions
TerraQuest Solutions is a Birmingham-based UK technology and services firm founded in 1972, custodian of the Planning Portal processing 95% of all planning applications across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It provides land referencing, GIS platforms, BIM tooling (Snaptrude), and consulting services to local authorities, developers, housing associations, and infrastructure clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What TerraQuest Solutions does
TerraQuest Solutions Limited is a Birmingham-headquartered, privately held UK technology and services firm founded in 1972, operating across the land, property, and built-environment value chain. The company serves local authorities, developers, housing associations, architects, and infrastructure clients in both the public and private sectors, with over 200 employees and no external parent company or public listing. Its portfolio combines a software platform (anchored by the Application Submission Portal that powers the national Planning Portal across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) with professional services covering land referencing, land finding, planning application validation (PAVS), case evaluation (PACES), and technology consultancy. The software stack is built in-house and includes the Application Payment Service, Consultee Exchange Centre, Open Community Register, ReQuestaPlan (Ordnance-Survey-backed site-plan tool), Land & Property Portal (cloud GIS), Snaptrude (BIM design compatible with AutoCAD, SketchUp, Rhino, and Revit), plus add-on modules such as the Planning Application Index and Interactive House.
TerraQuest's technology core is a cloud-based GIS platform integrated with proprietary land referencing technology and relational land-interest datasets, processing approximately 700,000 planning and building control applications annually — equivalent to 95% of all planning applications in England and Wales. The architecture is integrated with local authority back-office systems and certified under the UK Government G-Cloud framework, with Ordnance Survey data embedded for statutory compliance. Custodianship of the Planning Portal gives TerraQuest an exclusive data position on planning activity across three UK jurisdictions, which underpins its data and insights products (Planning Industry Insights, Data Platform).
The revenue model is a hybrid of recurring subscription and platform fees (planning software licensing across 326 English local authorities, 25 Welsh, and 10 Northern Irish authorities; ReQuestaPlan pay-as-you-go and subscription accounts) and project-based professional services fees (land referencing engagements for major infrastructure such as HS2, Crossrail, Heathrow, EDF Hinkley Point, and National Grid; land finding; technology consultancy). Go-to-market is dual-channel: direct enterprise field sales for councils, developers, housing associations and infrastructure clients, and a self-service direct-to-applicant channel through the Planning Portal. Pricing is largely quote-based rather than publicly disclosed. The company is also pursuing international expansion into Canada, North America, and EMEA markets led by its Chief Commercial Officer, targeting partnerships with local government technology integrators.
TerraQuest Solutions firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TerraQuest Solutions
- Legal name
- TerraQuest Solutions Limited
- Website
- https://terraquest.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- TerraQuest Solutions is a Birmingham-based UK technology and services firm founded in 1972, custodian of the Planning Portal processing 95% of all planning applications across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It provides land referencing, GIS platforms, BIM tooling (Snaptrude), and consulting services to local authorities, developers, housing associations, and infrastructure clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TerraQuest Solutions industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Planning & Land Development Technology
- NAICS
- Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Administration of Housing Programs (92511)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Land Administration & Cadastral Services (Public Land Records, Parcel Management) (BPAIANAH)
Keywords
Where TerraQuest Solutions is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
TerraQuest Solutions business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Planning Software & Technology Licensing: TerraQuest provides planning software solutions including the Application Submission Portal, Consultee Exchange Centre, and Open Community Register to local authorities and planning professionals. Revenue is generated through software licensing and platform fees.
- ReQuestaPlan Subscriptions: Flexible accounts with pay-as-you-go plan creation for one-time users or subscription options for professional users with additional features.
- Land Referencing Services: Professional land referencing services for infrastructure projects including site identification, ownership research, CPO/DCO support, and consultation processes. Revenue generated through project-based professional service fees.
- Land Finding Services: Site identification and assessment services using GIS technology to find suitable development land for public and private sector clients.
- Technology Consultancy: Back-office system optimisation and digitisation consultancy services for local authorities and organisations in the planning sector.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | ReQuestaPlan offers flexible account types with pay-as-you-go and subscription options |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
TerraQuest Solutions product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TerraQuest develops and licenses cloud-based planning and land management software, including the Application Submission Portal delivered as the national Planning Portal (handling 95% of UK planning applications), supported by payment, consultee exchange, community register, and GIS modules. Alongside the software, the company provides professional land referencing and land finding services, planning application validation and case evaluation, and technology consultancy to local authorities, developers, housing associations, architects, and infrastructure clients across the UK.
Product overview
TerraQuest Solutions operates as a platform-plus-modules provider of land, planning, and property technology for the UK built environment. The portfolio is anchored by the Application Submission Portal (also branded and delivered as Planning Portal), which processes over 700,000 planning and building control applications annually across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, integrated with the Application Payment Service, Consultee Exchange Centre, Open Community Register, ReQuestaPlan, and Planning Application Index. Adjacent to the planning software suite, TerraQuest offers a land development services umbrella encompassing Land Finding Services, Land Referencing (pioneered since 1972), and the Land & Property Portal (a GIS-based project management platform). Planning application support services include PAVS (validation) and PACES (case evaluation), complemented by a Data Platform and Planning Industry Insights for market intelligence. The subsidiary brand Snaptrude provides BIM-compatible architecture design software with integrations to AutoCAD, SketchUp, Rhino, and Revit. Technology Consultancy rounds out the offering for back-office system optimisation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Planning Portal: The online planning application service for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, handling the majority of planning applications in these jurisdictions.
- Snaptrude
- ReQuestaPlan
Products and services
- Application Submission Portal
Quantifiable outcome
- Planning Portal processes 660,000+ applications annually across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use TerraQuest Solutions
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
TerraQuest Solutions technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature9 records
TerraQuest Solutions partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.
- Ordnance SurveycoreTerraQuest operates as an Ordnance Survey business partner, using their mapping data for land finding and GIS services. ReQuestaPlan is developed using Ordnance Survey data, ensuring compliance with UK Government legislation for planning applications.
- Planning PortalflagshipTerraQuest is custodian of the Planning Portal, the national planning application service for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. TerraQuest designed and developed the digital planning systems and continues to power the platform handling 95% of all planning applications.
- HS2 (High Speed 2)majorTerraQuest provided land referencing services for the HS2 high-speed rail project, one of the UK's largest infrastructure projects.
- CrossrailmajorTerraQuest provided land referencing services for the Crossrail (Elizabeth Line) rail infrastructure project in London.
- Heathrow AirportmajorTerraQuest provided land referencing services for Heathrow Airport infrastructure projects.
- EDF Hinkley PointmajorTerraQuest provided land referencing services for the EDF Hinkley Point C nuclear power station project.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
TerraQuest Solutions competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Idox plc: UK-listed vendor of back-office planning, land, and public protection software (e.g. iApply, iPlan) to the same 326 local authorities; overlaps directly with TerraQuest's Application Submission Portal and council workflow modules.
- Civica Group: UK public sector software house serving local authorities with planning, regulatory, and back-office solutions, including platforms that compete with TerraQuest's planning suite and SaaS modules.
- Ardent Management Consultancy: UK land referencing and DCO/CPO consultancy servicing infrastructure schemes; competes head-to-head with TerraQuest on land referencing, site identification, and compulsory purchase support work.
- Bruton Knowles: National UK chartered surveying firm with a dedicated Infrastructure & Development / Land Referencing practice covering CPO, DCO, and HS2-style schemes; closely comparable services to TerraQuest's land referencing division.
Broad incumbents
- Capita plc: Large UK outsourcer with a Local Government Services line including planning application support, document management, and back-office digitisation that competes with TerraQuest's PAVS/PACES and Technology Consultancy offerings.
- AtkinsRéalis (Atkins): Global engineering and project management consultancy whose UK practice runs land referencing, planning advisory, and GIS-based infrastructure services for the same public infrastructure clients as TerraQuest.
- WSP UK: International infrastructure consultancy with UK teams delivering land advisory, planning support, and GIS services that compete for the same major project engagements as TerraQuest.
- AECOM UK: Global infrastructure consultancy with significant UK land advisory, environmental, and planning practice that competes with TerraQuest on major infrastructure project land referencing and site identification.
- Autodesk Construction Solutions: Provider of Revit and BIM architecture design tools that integrate with TerraQuest's Snaptrude subsidiary; a broader incumbent whose workflow and model-checking roadmap can compete with Snaptrude's BIM proposition to architects and planning applicants.
Emerging players
- ESRI UK: Lead ArcGIS reseller in the UK; provides the foundational GIS platform TerraQuest builds on, and increasingly offers pre-built planning and land administration apps that overlap with TerraQuest's Land & Property Portal.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
TerraQuest Solutions social profiles
Digital presenceTerraQuest Solutions compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
TerraQuest Solutions financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TerraQuest Solutions leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
TerraQuest Solutions subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
TerraQuest Solutions funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TerraQuest Solutions M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TerraQuest Solutions
What does TerraQuest Solutions do?
TerraQuest develops and licenses cloud-based planning and land management software, including the Application Submission Portal delivered as the national Planning Portal (handling 95% of UK planning applications), supported by payment, consultee exchange, community register, and GIS modules. Alongside the software, the company provides professional land referencing and land finding services, planning application validation and case evaluation, and technology consultancy to local authorities, developers, housing associations, architects, and infrastructure clients across the UK.
Is TerraQuest Solutions a public or private company?
TerraQuest Solutions is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was TerraQuest Solutions founded?
TerraQuest Solutions was founded in 1972. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is TerraQuest Solutions based?
TerraQuest Solutions is headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does TerraQuest Solutions make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Planning Software & Technology Licensing is the primary driver. The others are reQuestaPlan Subscriptions, land Referencing Services, land Finding Services and technology Consultancy.
Who are TerraQuest Solutions's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Idox plc, Civica Group, Ardent Management Consultancy and Bruton Knowles. Broad incumbents are Capita plc, AtkinsRéalis (Atkins), WSP UK, AECOM UK and Autodesk Construction Solutions. ESRI UK is listed as an emerging player.
Does TerraQuest Solutions have an API?
No public API is recorded for TerraQuest Solutions.
What industry is TerraQuest Solutions in?
TerraQuest Solutions's product category is Planning & Land Development Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIANAH, Land Administration & Cadastral Services (Public Land Records, Parcel Management). Its NAICS code is 925120 and its SIC code is 7372.