Central Bedfordshire Council has implemented a cutting-edge digital mapping system to streamline its local plan development and identify suitable sites for future growth. The council trialled a new approach, leveraging a platform called PlaceMaker, to analyse land parcels based on their proximity to essential local services and existing infrastructure capacity. This strategic shift aims to move beyond a sole reliance on sites submitted by landowners, allowing the council to proactively pinpoint optimal locations for development.
The core of this initiative is the creation of an 'infrastructure opportunity score' (IOS), which can be applied to every Land Registry parcel within Central Bedfordshire. This comprehensive score integrates various data points, including access to public transport, education facilities, healthcare services, retail and employment hubs, community amenities, and leisure spaces. Access to these services is evaluated using walking or driving catchments, with specialist officers refining the weightings and score caps through rigorous testing. This data-driven method provides a transparent and consistent framework for assessing development potential.
A key driver for this project was the council's previous experience, where infrastructure was a significant concern for residents and local representatives during the last local plan process. By integrating infrastructure capacity considerations from the outset, the council aims to address these concerns earlier, ensuring that future developments are adequately supported. While national datasets were primarily used to ensure easy updates and potential scalability, the council also incorporated specific capacity data for education and health where reliable information was available, collaborating with education and integrated care board colleagues.
The technology enables the council to produce detailed maps highlighting areas with higher or lower infrastructure opportunity and constraint, as well as specific maps for education and health capacity. This scoring system has been embedded into the digital site assessment process, allowing officers to view the IOS alongside other suitability information. Planners can now filter land parcels and sites by their score, location, size, and high-level constraints, facilitating targeted analysis and helping to identify any gaps in site submissions.
This pilot, which was part of the PropTech Innovation Fund Round 4 in 2024, represents a significant step towards modernising local plan-making in the UK. By harnessing digital tools, Central Bedfordshire Council is enhancing its ability to identify and assess development opportunities more efficiently and transparently, with a clear focus on ensuring that new housing and facilities are well-integrated with existing community infrastructure.