We sat down with Catherine Shiers, Customer Engagement Director at Groundsure, to discuss how the two companies are working together to elevate planning data standards across the UK property market.

Groundsure is the UK's leading provider of environmental and planning data for the property sector, serving around 70% of all residential property transactions. In 2024, they partnered with IBex to enhance their planning intelligence capabilities and develop innovations in property data.

Why planning data matters

Property transactions are one of the most significant financial decisions people make. Understanding what's happening in the local area (planned developments, infrastructure changes, nearby applications) is important to making informed decisions.

"When buying a property, understanding any changes to the local area is imperative," explains Catherine "This is one of the most emotional and expensive life moments, and ensuring you have everything needed to make the most informed decision is so important."

As the property market evolves, buyer and conveyancer expectations continue to develop. For Groundsure, maintaining their position as a trusted partner to conveyancers, solicitors, and property professionals across the UK meant finding a data partner who could work with them to enhance their offering.

Finding the right partner: Why IBex?

Groundsure was looking for a collaborator who shared their vision and values, rather than a typical data supplier. Initial conversations kicked off in 2023, and the partnership officially began in early 2024, with Groundsure going live with IBex data in early 2025.

"We were looking for a partnership that went further than a typical supplier/client relationship," Catherine says. "As our relationship progressed, we built something to be proud of and at times felt like we were all part of the same organisation."

Three things made IBex the right fit:

• Genuine collaboration: IBex engaged as a partner, working together to understand requirements and build solutions. The relationship felt less like vendor-client and more like an extended team.
• Shared commitment to innovation: Groundsure wanted a partner who would work with them on developing new capabilities. IBex's approach aligned with their own culture of innovation.
• Technical expertise: The partnership needed to be built on high-quality data. IBex's advanced geo-location capabilities, comprehensive coverage, and accuracy standards met the required level of excellence.

"IBex didn't just offer us data. They engaged with us as a collaborator, aligned with our vision, and committed to innovating together," Catherine notes. "We wanted a company that shared our values, who we could work with for the foreseeable."

What the partnership delivers

Here's what conveyancers now receive in Groundsure's enhanced planning reports:

• More comprehensive coverage: Detailed datasets capturing both minor and major planning applications across the full planning landscape.
• Advanced accuracy: Applications are now represented by their actual development extent boundaries (polygon mapping) rather than just a single point on a map. This provides better clarity on how planning applications relate to the property.
• Richer context: Enhanced insight around the type, scale, and proximity of planning applications helps the conveyancing process and enables conveyancers explain potential impacts to clients with confidence.

Impact

The benefits extend beyond enhanced features to improvements in how Groundsure serves their clients.

"Because we've worked together since the beginning of the data collection process, our teams understand the data a lot better," Catherine explains. "This essentially means faster response times, better quality insights, and overall a much more streamlined and efficient service.”

This collaborative understanding has enhanced the service Groundsure delivers across their client base.

"As the market leader, it's essential that Groundsure continues to set the standard in the quality, accuracy, and usability of the data we provide," says Catherine. "Our customers rely on us to deliver insights they can trust, and that means ensuring our planning data is the most comprehensive and up to date in the industry.”

What's next

The partnership has also established a foundation for future developments.

"We're already raising the bar in terms of what we provide today, but it's not just about keeping pace, it's about staying well ahead," Catherine notes. "We're ensuring we are not only listening to the needs of our clients but developing solutions that can really transform decision-making."

While specific future capabilities remain under development, the collaborative foundation positions both companies well for continued innovation.

Both Groundsure and IBex view this partnership as an important development in how property data is delivered.

"By combining our expertise, we're ensuring that better planning data means faster, more confident decisions and fewer surprises for buyers and investors," Catherine concludes. "We're really excited to see where this partnership takes us next."

Want to hear directly from Catherine about this partnership? Stay tuned. We'll be sharing our full video conversation soon!

Want to learn more about our planning data capabilities? Whether you're looking to enhance your current offering or explore what improved planning intelligence could mean for your business, get in touch here