Local Authority Bulletins

Following the announcement of DLUHC’s latest £5m round of funding to support digital planning¹, we are keen to speak to any Local Authority interested in working with us and making a bid before the 23^rd December 2022 deadline. 

Tracks 2 and 3 of the funding are directly relevant our digital application services and could provide up to £250,000 per local authority if successful. 

This provides a great opportunity to ensure that the application data submitted to you can be fully integrated into the development management process, vastly improving your efficiency by reducing unnecessary manual tasks. We also believe that it can improve applicant/agent facing functions and reduce unnecessary contacts to you. 

Track 3 will specifically also allow you to work with us alongside your existing IT service provider (e.g. Agile, Arcus, Atrium, Civica, DEF, IDOX, NEC, Ocella) to ensure that the end-to-end flow of all application data and supporting files from us is properly connected and fully utilised. We have also contacted these suppliers to make them aware of our interest. 

All this work should also result in improvements that can subsequently be shared with other LPAs, helping to scale the benefits nationally, and ensure strong digital foundations for the wider reform of the planning system that government is embarking on. 

High level overview of potential improvements 

At a non-technical level there are three main areas we would like to progress: 

• A move from our current application data format and transfer methods to a more modern solution in line with those that DLUHC propose to use when setting national standards. 
• Functions to allow applicants/agents to provide/draw site boundary data which can then be used by our systems and passed to Local Authorities. 
• Use of data from Local Authorities on Planning Portal to provide upfront site-specific validation for applications, and to inform any actions the user may need to take after submission. 

The benefits this work could realise for LPAs include: 

• An up-to-date feature-rich two-way data integration between Planning Portal and LPA systems, providing a futureproofed foundation for all onward use of application data. 
• Automation of administrative tasks, allowing specialist human resources to focus on higher value activities. 
• A fully defined digital site location that can inform specific guidance, logic and validation, and also easily integrate with Local Authority mapping/GIS systems. 
• Awareness of the local policies, constraints, and history of a specific site and its surroundings so that applicants can tailor their proposals accordingly, and LPAs can ensure all material considerations are accounted for. 
• Applicants being easily informed of their application status, allowing them to track progress, address specific validation issues, make necessary amendments, or carry out ‘follow on’ activities such as approving reserved matters or discharging conditions. 

A key point in the funding application is that “successful applications are likely to have consulted and developed an approach with the existing service provider”, so an early conversation with us will help to support your bid. 

You may also wish to discuss this internally with your digital/IT colleagues to ensure relevant considerations are factored in, and bids are accurate and comprehensive. 

Further details on the work we could do together 

More detail on the specific ways you can work with us, as detailed in the fund’s prospectus², include: 

Track 2 – Adopt BOPS and integrate with Planning Portal 

Applications should include one or more of the following: 

• An open API integration that passes planning application data between Planning Portal and BOPS.  
• Planning Portal is working on a JSON based data standard and modern API to supersede the legacy XML format data and SOAP API currently in use nationally. We see this as the preferred option if working to integrate with the BOPS system going forward. 
• Currently the data flows in one direction, from us to LPAs. Many of the improvements we and DLUHC wish to realise involve data also passing back the other way so that users can manage the details of applications once submitted. For example, any validation issues flagged in BOPS could be passed, as data, back to Planning Portal allowing the user to address them. 
• If BOPS is being adopted alongside an existing provider, we could provide the ability to direct specific application types to different back-office systems (e.g. as part of any dual-working, or transition/migration project) 
• A digital red-line boundary tool on the Planning Portal so that applicants can draw and submit site location plan polygons as GeoJSON data to BOPS. 
• Planning Portal is working on a boundary tool to capture this data for LPAs to use in BOPS, and ‘personalise’ applications to their specific site location. 
• An automated planning constraints check on the Planning Portal via the National Planning Data Platform, so that applicants can see what constraints apply to their property. 
• Based on the site polygon and use of local and national constraint data, Planning Portal will be able to better inform and guide applicants/agents up-front to improve the quality of submissions and avoid validation issues. 

Track 3 – Improve integration between Planning Portal and your existing system 

Applications should consider: 

• An open API integration that passes planning application data between Planning Portal and an existing back-office system. 

- Planning Portal is working on a JSON based data standard and modern API to supersede the XML format data and SOAP API currently in use nationally. 

- Currently the data flows in one direction, from us to LPAs. Many of the improvements we and DLUHC wish to realise involve data also passing back the other way so that users can check and manage the details of applications post-submission. 

- The vast majority of LPAs are not yet using our latest data standard (v3). Over a third still rely on v1.3 that is unable to retrieve the 28 types of prior approval application that we have added since 2019 or, for those in London, any of the GLA specific data we collect on their behalf. 

- Many LPAs do not currently utilise the full set of application data we provide and supporting files are often not automatically indexed into document management systems (DMS). Any gaps here, once identified, require manual resource to reconcile, re-key, or import.  

- If you use multiple back-office systems, we could provide the ability to direct specific application types to different systems (e.g. as part of established working patterns, or for any transition/migration project) 

• A digital red-line boundary tool on the Planning Portal so that applicants can draw and submit site location plan polygons as GeoJSON data to an existing back-office system.

- Planning Portal is working on a boundary tool to capture this data for LPAs, ‘personalise’ applications to their specific site location, and better associate to local plan designations and constraints in LPA systems. 

• An automated planning constraints check on the Planning Portal via the National Planning Data Platform, so that applicants can see what constraints apply to their property. 

- Based on the site polygon and use of local and national constraint data, Planning Portal will be able to better inform and guide applicants/agents up-front to improve the quality of submissions and avoid validation issues. 

• An outbound API for planning data, so that it can be used by Planning Portal. 

- We welcome any ideas of how application data on LPA systems could be used by Planning Portal to inform applicants/agents. A couple of initial ideas, based on previous LPA feedback are: 

• Application status – Applicants commonly want to know the progress of their application, and we could show them this and/or link to the register or decision notice from their Planning Portal dashboard. 
• Amendment logic – If an application has been determined or withdrawn, Planning Portal could be used to stop applicants submitting amendments to that application. 
• Site location research - A search function that shows historic applications, constraints, and other data to inform the application process and development management functions. 

1. https://www.localdigital.gov.uk/digital-planning/digital-planning-software/funding/
2. https://paas-s3-broker-prod-lon-252c9c29-444d-4eae-8a79-75f7eef7a638.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/15174625/PSIF-R1-Prospectus.docx