East Herts District Council has made significant strides in streamlining its 'call for sites' process through the adoption of a digital platform, saving an estimated 10 hours per site and transforming the way local plans are developed. The innovative tool, developed with Cadcorp's collaboration, automates tasks such as plotting land parcels and gathering initial data, freeing up council officers from manual processes.
The web-based system integrates directly with the council’s Geographic Information System (GIS), allowing users to submit site boundaries and detailed information through a structured online form. This is linked automatically to existing GIS layers, providing instant insights into planning constraints, local services, and facilities – a vast improvement on the previously time-consuming manual processes.
With 100% of trial submissions captured digitally, nearly 96% submitted directly by the public, and an average reduction in processing time from 15 hours to under 6 hours per site, the pilot has demonstrated the impact of digital solutions on local government efficiency. The system also improves data consistency and makes it easier to filter out incomplete submissions, providing comprehensive site summary reports and GIS layers for internal and public use.
This pioneering initiative is part of the 2024 PropTech Innovation Fund Round 4, highlighting a growing trend among UK councils embracing digital solutions to modernise public services. By leveraging GIS technology and online portals, councils can process large volumes of data more effectively, leading to faster decision-making and increased transparency in planning processes for all stakeholders.
East Herts' model offers a blueprint for other councils seeking to optimise their plan-making activities, underscoring the potential for digital transformation to enhance local government operations.