Durham County Council has slashed its site assessment time by more than half with the help of a digital platform, saving an estimated £10,403 annually. The new system, PlaceMaker, replaces manual methods that were not only time-consuming but also prone to errors and inconsistencies.
The council's decision to adopt the digital transformation was driven by the need for greater efficiency in preparing its new local plan. Site assessments previously involved multiple teams working with various tools and frequent manual data entry across different documents, resulting in lengthy processes and duplication of effort.
By integrating its Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) data into PlaceMaker, Durham created a robust digital evidence base that will support future site assessment work and reduce reliance on one-off exercises. The council also contributed to the development of a standardised Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) database structure, which is now being shared with other authorities using the same platform.
Planning officers use PlaceMaker to assess sites against a shared set of criteria, recording information in a consistent format and updating assessments as evidence or assumptions change. This streamlined approach has not only reduced duplication between teams but also made it simpler to manage and update large volumes of sites over time.
The pilot programme, funded by the PropTech Innovation Fund round 4 in 2024, demonstrates how digital technologies can improve public sector efficiency. For UK businesses, particularly those in property development and construction, more efficient planning processes could lead to quicker decision-making and reduced project lead times. This could have a positive impact on consumers, with potentially faster access to housing and commercial developments, influencing property availability and affordability in the long term.