SmartApply Webinar Reaches 800+ Professionals 

More than 800 planning professionals signed up for our latest SmartApply webinar, making it one of our most popular events to date. 

We hosted the session for planning consultants, agents, architects and local authority colleagues to share our new features and the product roadmap ahead. The response was fantastic, and the live polls gave us a clear, first-hand picture of what matters most to the people who use SmartApply every day. 

A huge well done to Scott Alford and Surabhi Deshpande, who both presented brilliantly. It was a real pleasure to share our vision, and the changes we’re making, with such a large and engaged audience. 

What you want next: smarter readiness checks 

Almost half of respondents (49%) said more sophisticated completeness and readiness checks would be the most valuable upcoming feature. A further 40% chose Site Check, which links site-specific information alongside the readiness check. Together, that’s nearly nine in ten attendees asking for the same thing – confidence that an application is right before it’s submitted. 

Upcoming feature	Share of votes
More sophisticated completeness & readiness checks	49%
Site Check – site-specific information alongside readiness check	40%
Project Workspaces – related applications, people and info together	8%
Future application creation through Ask Navi	3%

217 responses. 

When we asked which Planning Portal tools attendees had already used, supporting documents improvements (23%) and Building Control (16%) led the way, followed by CIL form integration (9%), the Constraints Checker (7%) and the Homeowner Insights Tool (7%). Only 1% had tried Ask Navi so far, so there’s plenty of opportunity to help professionals’ clients as more people discover the benefits of this tool. This particular function is also set to evolve quickly over the coming months, with new features being added regularly. 

How SmartApply helps planning professionals 

SmartApply is built around the day-to-day realities our audience described. Every improvement is designed to save time, cut rework and help applications move smoothly through to submission. 

• Fewer invalid applications. Completeness and readiness checks (launching end of October) flag missing information before you submit, reducing the back-and-forth that delays validation. 

• Faster route to validation. A complete, well-prepared application gives local planning authorities less to query, helping to tackle the turnaround times that nearly half of attendees named as their biggest challenge. 

• Simpler supporting forms. CIL form integration brings Community Infrastructure Levy information into the application journey, rather than leaving it as a separate task. 

• Easier document preparation. Supporting documents improvements help you prepare and format the files each application needs, with clear prompts to ensure nothing is nothing. 

• Smoother project management. Recent enhancements have brought Planning and Building Control applications together in one view. It’s easier to collaborate and organise multiple projects, with increased visibility and flexibility to manage complex workstreams. 

For agents, architects and consultants managing several applications at once, those savings add up. Less time on admin means more time for what matters: creating great places and communities. 

Why this matters, and what’s next 

SmartApply shapes applicants’ daily work, so this level of engagement was a powerful reminder of why our innovation matters. Every improvement we make saves professionals time and helps them focus on the work that counts. 

The poll results will feed directly into our roadmap. Readiness checks and Site Check are clearly where you want us to go next, and we’ll keep sharing progress as those features take shape. 

Thank you to everyone who joined, voted and asked questions, and thanks again to Scott and Surabhi for leading such a strong session. 

Missed it? Catch it here.