Joint Local Plan Digital Tool

The basis of funding secured from DLUHC is to procure software to modernize and create efficiency savings in site assessment processes within plan making. These processes involve compiling large databases of land information within a given authority, testing against potential constraints, and considering sustainability objectives (e.g., improving transport, boosting housing, supporting infrastructure viability, and enhancing nature improvement). Manual work is time-consuming and increasingly impractical in the current economic climate. Therefore, JLP authorities aim to adopt new ways of working to provide service resilience and enable proactive engagement with the development industry and local communities.

Existing GIS platforms have functionalities that could support these processes but are only usable by a few advanced users within each council. This limits their integration into the everyday workflow of planning officers. The funding aims to secure and trial a solution with existing or new suppliers to streamline the process for officers, making site assessment more agile and consistent in anticipation of planning reform and accelerated plan making timetables.