Privacy Policy

Shorplans Developments (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a London-based residential architecture and planning consultancy. We are a RIBA Chartered Practice and an ARB-registered firm (Reg No. 089055C).

We are the data controller for the personal information collected through this website, shorplans.com. You can contact us about anything in this policy at hello@shorplans.com, by phone on +44 20 4513 2191, or by post at 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ.

We only collect personal information that you choose to give us, or that is generated when you browse the site:

• Quote & enquiry forms — when you request a quote or send an enquiry, we collect the details you enter, such as your name, email address, phone number, property address, project type, budget and message.
• Instant quote calculator — the project information and contact details you enter so we can provide your estimate and follow up on your enquiry.
• Enquiry chat assistant — the messages you type into the chat, including your email address if you provide it. The chat is an automated assistant: your messages are processed by a third-party AI language-model provider to generate replies, and your enquiry is then emailed to our studio so a member of the team can respond.
• Newsletter — your email address (and your name, if you provide it) when you subscribe to our updates.
• Consultation bookings — if you contact us by phone or email to arrange a consultation, we use the contact details, project information and availability you provide to arrange it with you.
• Website usage — anonymous usage information collected through cookies and analytics, described below.

• To respond to your enquiry, prepare quotes and fee proposals, and provide our architectural and planning services.
• To send you our newsletter and updates about new articles, if you have subscribed. Every email we send includes a way to unsubscribe, and you can opt out at any time.
• To arrange and manage consultations you book with us.
• To understand, in aggregate, how visitors use our website so we can improve it.

Where we process your information to respond to an enquiry or provide services, we do so because it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or because we have a legitimate interest in running our practice. We send the newsletter on the basis of your consent, which you can withdraw at any time by unsubscribing.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for automated decision-making that has legal effects on you.

We use Google Analytics to measure how the website is used — for example, which pages are visited and whether visitors request a quote. Google Analytics sets cookies and collects usage information such as approximate location, device type and pages viewed. We use this information only in aggregate; it does not tell us who you are.

Google Analytics and Google Ads tags remain off until you give permission. Choose analytics and advertising separately, accept all, or reject optional cookies. Google Ads supports advertising measurement and personalised advertising when permitted. Use “Cookie settings” at the bottom of any page to change or withdraw permission. We remember your choice in essential local storage for up to six months. Saving reloads the page and withdrawal stops future tracking; it does not erase information already sent to Google. The website works without optional cookies.

We share personal information only with the service providers that operate parts of this website and our communications on our behalf:

• Website hosting — our website and its database are hosted on Replit.
• Email delivery — enquiry notifications and newsletter emails are sent through Resend, an email delivery service.
• Analytics — Google, for the analytics described above.
• Chat assistant — a third-party AI language-model provider processes chat messages to generate replies.

Some of these providers are based outside the UK (for example, in the United States), which means your information may be processed there when you use the relevant feature.

We keep enquiry and project information for as long as it is needed to deal with your enquiry and, if you become a client, to deliver our services and meet our professional and legal obligations. Newsletter details are kept until you unsubscribe.

The checker is currently restricted to authorised internal users. It stores property addresses, answers, screening results and any contact details supplied, to provide a summary and handle requested follow-up. It does not add people to a newsletter or establish that development is lawful.

A postcode is sent to Postcodes.io for locality lookup, not exact-property planning clearance. A private access token is kept in your browser session. Request protection stores a keyed hash of the network address rather than the raw address; its request windows last up to one hour, with expired entries removed during cleanup.

Empty assessments expire after 24 hours; completed assessments expire 30 days after creation. Expired records cannot be retrieved through the checker and are removed during cleanup. During the internal pilot, cleanup runs on checker/admin access or an authorised maintenance request; a daily production schedule must be verified before public launch.

On the published site, a quote or callback request sends an office notification through Resend. You can download a PDF without providing a name, email or phone number; downloading does not send an email or request follow-up. The saved assessment still contains your property address and answers and follows the retention period above. Development previews do not send notifications. Deleting a checker record does not erase downloaded PDFs, office email copies or backups; contact us to request deletion across applicable systems. Production backup and office-mail retention arrangements must be approved before public launch.

Under UK data protection law (UK GDPR), you have the right to:

• request a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
• ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
• ask us to delete your information;
• object to, or ask us to restrict, our processing of your information;
• receive your information in a portable format; and
• withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on it (for example, the newsletter).

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@shorplans.com. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator, at ico.org.uk.

We may update this policy from time to time — for example, if we add new features to the website. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated.

If you have any questions, please get in touch or email hello@shorplans.com.