Privacy policy

Last updated 4 October 2026

Who we are

Geddes (“Ask Geddes”, askgeddes.co.uk) is responsible for the personal information described here — it is the “controller”. “We” and “us” mean the people who run Geddes. Contact us about privacy at privacy@askgeddes.co.uk.

What we collect, why, and our lawful basis

Early-access applications

When you apply for early access we collect your name, email address and practice name, and anything else you choose to add: the planning authorities you work in, the kind of work you do, a note, your website, RTPI number, or the name you file under as an agent. We also record the country your request came from and your browser type, to spot abuse. We check the practice or agent name against public planning registers so we can recognise genuine planning professionals. We use this to decide on and manage early access and to contact you about it. Lawful basis: our legitimate interests in running an invitation-only test, and taking steps at your request before you join.

Emails you send us

If you email a Geddes address we keep your message, your email address and anything you attach, so we can reply and keep a record of the conversation. We may send an automatic acknowledgement. Replies may be drafted with the help of AI and are checked by a person before they are sent. Lawful basis: our legitimate interests in answering you.

Using Geddes (invited testers)

If you are invited to use Geddes we keep your account details (email address and name), records of how much you use it, the questions you ask, and any projects and files you add, so that we can provide the service and keep it fair and secure. You sign in with Google, Microsoft or an emailed code through Cloudflare Access; we receive your email address from the sign-in, not your password. Lawful basis: providing the service under our terms, and our legitimate interests in keeping it secure.

Public planning information

Geddes indexes planning information that local planning authorities publish on their public registers — applications, decisions, documents and policies. These public records can include personal information, such as the names and addresses of applicants and agents. We use them to make planning history researchable. Lawful basis: our legitimate interests in research using information councils publish under their statutory duties. If your information appears in a planning record and you have a question or want to object, contact privacy@askgeddes.co.uk; we can also point you to the council that published it.

Visiting this website

This website sets no tracking or advertising cookies and uses no analytics. Our hosting provider, Cloudflare, processes connection details such as your IP address to deliver the site and protect it from attack. Signed-in testers get one cookie, set by Cloudflare Access, which is needed to keep them signed in.

How we use AI

Geddes uses AI models from Anthropic (Claude) to research planning questions, and may use them to sort and draft replies to emails. Information is sent to the model only to carry out that task. We do not use your information to train our own models.

Who we share it with

We don’t sell personal information. We use these providers to run Geddes, each only for the purpose shown:

• Cloudflare — website hosting and security, sign-in, email routing, and storing early-access applications.
• Google — our mailbox (Gmail), where emails to Geddes addresses are kept.
• Resend — sending our emails (data processed in the EU).
• Anthropic — AI processing, as described above.
• Pushover — notifications to our own phone when someone applies.
• Our own servers in the UK — the Geddes application and its database.

We may also disclose information where the law requires it.

Transfers outside the UK

Some of these providers process data outside the UK, including in the United States. Where they do, they rely on the UK’s adequacy regulations (such as the UK–US data bridge) or approved contractual safeguards.

How long we keep it

• Early-access applications: until early access ends, or 12 months after we were last in touch, whichever is sooner.
• Emails: up to 2 years after the conversation ends.
• Tester accounts and content: while your account is open, and up to 90 days after it closes. Detailed usage records are kept for 90 days; monthly totals are kept longer.
• Public planning information: for as long as it is useful for research and remains publicly available.

Your rights

You can ask us for a copy of your personal information, to correct it, to delete it, to restrict how we use it, to object to our use of it, or to receive it in a portable form. Email privacy@askgeddes.co.uk and we will reply within one month. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk.

Google user data

Geddes uses Google’s Gmail API only to organise, file and send messages in the Geddes mailbox that we operate. It does not access anyone else’s Google account. Information obtained through Google APIs is used only to provide that function, is not sold, is not used for advertising, and is not transferred to others except as needed to provide it or as the law requires. Geddes’s use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

Changes

We will update this page if how we handle personal information changes, and change the date at the top.