Plot utilisation of land parcels
plot_utilisationLand parcels by size and how much of them is built on. Set `max_built_coverage` to 0.2 to find largely undeveloped plots.
Same call over REST
Land plot utilisation/v1/land/plot-utilisationNot connected yet? Connect your assistant. Sign in with your MarketCode account; no API key needed.
Reference
What plot_utilisation answers
Parcels with NO measured coverage are excluded when you set a ceiling, rather than counted as empty — unknown coverage is not evidence of a vacant plot. Coverage is measured on about 41% of parcels.
UK only.
Inputs
Before you call it
- area_id
- The area id is the analytics area identifier, not a name or a GSS code. Call area_resolve with a place name or code ("Hackney", "E5") first; it is free and returns the id with the area's hierarchy. Where it gives both
area_idandanalytics_area_id, passanalytics_area_id.
Example
An example call to plot_utilisation
Use the MarketCode tool plot_utilisation with {"area_id":"c0694b59-04d1-48ab-9a4c-c4f9d7b74f60","max_built_coverage":0.2,"limit":3} and show me the result.{
"area_id": "<string>",
"min_area_m2": 0,
"max_built_coverage": 0,
"parcels": [
{
"land_id": "<string>",
"area_m2": "<string>",
"built_coverage_ratio": "<string>",
"landuse_tier_a": "<string>",
"landuse_tier_b": "<string>",
"nlud_code": "<string>",
"n_buildings": 0,
"n_units_via_buildings": 0,
"total_buildings_footprint_m2": "<string>",
"address_count_residential": 0,
"address_count_commercial": 0
}
],
"count": 0,
"coverage_note": "<string>",
"credits_charged": 0
}Shape only. This call returns licensed records, so the keys are real and every value is a placeholder of its type.
Inputs
Arguments plot_utilisation takes
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| area_id | string | Yes | |
| min_area_m2 | number | No | Default: 0 |
| max_built_coverage | number | No | |
| limit | integer | No | Default: 100 |
Response
What comes back
| Field | Type |
|---|---|
| area_id | string |
| min_area_m2 | integer |
| max_built_coverage | number |
| parcels | array |
| parcels[].land_id | string |
| parcels[].area_m2 | string |
| parcels[].built_coverage_ratio | string |
| parcels[].landuse_tier_a | string |
| parcels[].landuse_tier_b | string |
| parcels[].nlud_code | string |
| parcels[].n_buildings | integer |
| parcels[].n_units_via_buildings | integer |
| parcels[].total_buildings_footprint_m2 | string |
| parcels[].address_count_residential | integer |
| parcels[].address_count_commercial | integer |
| count | integer |
| coverage_note | string |
| credits_charged | integer |
Fields observed in the example response above; a field the example did not exercise is not listed.
Usage
How to run plot_utilisation in your assistant
Ask your assistant in plain English, for example:
"Use the MarketCode tool plot_utilisation for <address or area>.
Show the result and the credits charged."
The arguments the assistant will send, for the example on this page:
{"area_id":"c0694b59-04d1-48ab-9a4c-c4f9d7b74f60","max_built_coverage":0.2,"limit":3}The connect steps for Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor and Claude Code are on the MCP page.
Price and licence
What it costs, and where the data comes from
plot_utilisation costs 6 credits per successful call over MCP and over REST, and the two surfaces share one credit balance.
The price covers licensed records in the response, from Ordnance Survey. A call that fails is not charged.
Credits are granted on sign-up and bought in packs; the pricing page lists every call.
Sources
- Ordnance Survey
National Geographic Database (buildings, land and sites)
Used under licence from Ordnance Survey · Great Britain
Related
Tools used with plot_utilisation
- Built-stock profile of an areaFree
area_stock_profileComposition of the built stock in an area: unit counts, HMO share, mixed-use share, median building height and footprint, solar penetration.Same category - Physical form of buildings3 credits
building_physicalPhysical form of the buildings a set of UPRNs sit in: height, volume, footprint area, floor count, construction and roof material, basement, green roof, solar panels, and the residential/commercial unit mix.Same category - Hex-binned density for mapsFree
h3_densityHex-binned stock and transaction density for map layers, at H3 resolution 8.Same category - Mixed-use buildings in an area6 credits
mixed_use_buildingsBuildings holding BOTH residential and commercial units — the conversion and permitted-development cohort.Same category
FAQ
Questions about plot_utilisation
How much does `plot_utilisation` cost?
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plot_utilisation costs 6 credits per successful call over MCP and over REST, and the two surfaces share one credit balance. The price covers licensed records in the response, from Ordnance Survey. A call that fails is not charged.
Where do I get the area id?
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From area_resolve, which is free: give it a place name or postcode district and it returns the area id, centroid and hierarchy. plot_utilisation then takes that id.
Which assistants can run `plot_utilisation`?
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Any MCP client: Claude (claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Claude Code), ChatGPT in developer mode, Codex and Cursor, each documented on the MCP page. You sign in with your MarketCode account over OAuth; there is no key to paste, and the connection is read-only.
Where does the data come from?
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Read from Ordnance Survey NGD. Coverage is the UK.
Can I store or republish the results?
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The response includes records we license from Ordnance Survey. Use them in your own analysis, reports and products; bulk redistribution of the raw records or building a competing dataset from them is not covered. Ask us if you need a redistribution licence.
Does `plot_utilisation` change anything?
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No. The tool is annotated read-only on the server, so it never writes to your data or ours and an assistant can call it without a confirmation step.
Try plot_utilisation in your assistant.
30-minute call. We'll connect your assistant live on a real address.