Email alerts of planning applications near you

Planning Alerts is a free tool that lets you search for planning applications near a given address.
Sort the results on either distance or date.

I imagine this might be a useful tool for understanding what is happening in an area (e.g.lots of subdivision proposals, zone changes, etc).

You can even comment on the applications and they are forwarded to the relevant authority. Making it easy to find and easy to complain could be a good/bad thing depending on what side you fall into

I am particularly interested in the API so that I can start mapping out the results.

 

Yes, but you must input the address not the suburb post code noly.

 

Something I do with areas I'm interested in is just put a random property address that is in the centre of the suburb Easy.

 

I like to set Google Trends for a particular suburb I'm watching. Another source that might sound like a long shot but one I get great insight out of, is simply Googling ABC Australia News and then a suburb. For some reason, ABC has some of the best local-based reporting for most suburbs around Australia! Their news storytelling style is probably some of the best/least scaremongering (in comparison to commercialised news networks locally, anyway); so I find this valuable to keep tabs on suburbs in the news