Daily application submissions via the Planning Portal (2011-13) (Click on the graph for a bigger view)
I thought I’d share the above graph with you. It represents the number of applications submitted via the Portal on weekdays and weekends over the last three years.
What’s particularly striking is the sudden (and sustained) increase in applications around the start of May 2013.
We’ve been scratching our collective heads about what could have caused this increase and we haven’t come to a definitive conclusion.
We’re aware of indications that the market is rising. We also know that the number of applications submitted via the Planning Portal continues to increase year on year. (For 2012-13 the year-on-year increase was 16 per cent – up from 14 per cent in 2011-12.) Read more…
You may have noticed an abundance of facial hair sprouting up all over the country in the last month as men take part in the annual Movember event.
In case you’re unaware, this is to raise vital funds and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer and mental health.
This year we have four members of the team growing impressive moustaches for a good cause:
- Scott ‘Freddie Mercury’ Alford – our head of LPA engagement
- Dan ‘Spinal Tap’ Alton – our stats man
- Toby ‘The Thumb’ Clemenson– the calming voice of our service desk
- Stuart ‘Sailor’ Mockford – our head of corporate development
You can check out their impressive facial hair on their Mo Bro page. You can also sponsor them – they’ve currently raised £290 for worthwhile causes.
I’m pleased to share a guest post by the Planning Portal’s head of LPA engagement Scott Alford…
Last week we held a tree event in partnership with the London Borough planning authorities and the London Tree Officers Association (LTOA).
The London Boroughs have been working with the Planning Portal to look at ways to improve the planning and tree services they provide and encourage all works to trees applications to be submitted online using the Planning Portal.
The event was for agents who currently submit on paper and by post and a varied audience turned up, including sole practitioners, family-run businesses to national tree companies that deal with a range of tree services. Read more…
John Danahay (race number 5029) holding off the opposition.
I’d like to offer up my congratulations to our account manager John Danahay who last weekend won a gold medal as part of the England team in the British and Irish Cross Country Championship.
Despite being the tender age of 51, John has not only managed to meet the demands of our Local Authority and corporate customers but has snuck lots of training in for the event in which the top performers in this age-group are running 32 minute 10ks. As some one of a similar (older) age who has just taken up running I can’t even imagine going that fast.
We’re all massively proud of him.
I would just like to say a short thank you to all of you who voted for me in the recent Digital Leaders awards.
I was thrilled to reach the top 10 and not too dissapointed not to be the overall winner!
Details of all the winners can be found on the Digital By Default News website.
That headline comes from a LocalGov.co.uk article published last week:
Councils could account for one-tenth of massive £3bn savings predicted to be made across the entire public sector next year by shifting more transactions to lower-cost digital channels, a comprehensive survey has revealed.
Research commissioned by GOSS Interactive, based on a survey of 575 senior executives from 480 public sector organisations, shows local government could achieve potential £300m efficiencies next year by moving a fuller share of interactions to websites, mobile phones, social media and SMS services.
If you still have any doubt about the value of channel shift, here’s another key bit of data from the article:
Anthony Peake, marketing director of Goss Interactive and author of the report said: ‘With face to face transactions costing on average £8.62, telephone interactions costing £2.83 and online digital interactions costing less than 15p, the evidence of channel shift activity and the results anticipated, are very encouraging.
Our account team continues to support local authorities shift to online ways of working through our Smarter Planning scheme.
We’ve worked very hard with local authorities over the last 10 years or so on channel shift and we’ve been grateful for the enthusiasm and patience of (most) local authorities who have joined us on the journey.
However, it’s only when you read headlines like the one above that you realise how far we’ve all come.
As my original post back in March generated so much interest I thought I would bring you up to date on current progress with the vertical forest.
The following images were received this morning direct from the architects office Boeri Studio, whose partners Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca and Giovanni La Varra have been in business together since 2007.
You might recall that in February 2012 I reported that we had passed the 1 million online applications milestone.
It had taken 10 years of hard work to reach that point but he we are a mere 18 months later having notched up another half million.
Of course the number means little in itself but it does indicate that the planning system is well on its way to becoming ‘Digital by Default’ and it equates to savings by local authorities and applicants of more than £400m.
We are now running at around 75% of planning applications online and we’re handling a greater volume of applications than ever before.
Thanks to all our customers and partners especially in Local Authorities for helping us move forward despite all the difficulties along the way.
The Planning Portal has added a ‘major development’ question to the online planning application process. This is to support future development work.
All users in England and Wales will now be asked to indicate whether their application is for a major development. The definition of what constitutes a major development is available in the ‘Help’ text.
The new question will be presented within the application chooser, once the applicant has selected the application type. The question will apply to all application forms that can be used to submit a major development. They are:
- 04. Full
- 05. Outline planning permission with some matters reserved
- 06. Outline planning permission with all matters reserved
- 07. Full and relevant demolition in a conservation
- 08. Full and listed building consent
- 09. Full and consent to display an advertisement(s)
- 10. Relevant demolition in a conservation area
- 23. Approval of reserved matters following outline approval
- 25. Removal or variation of a condition following grant of planning permission
- 27. Approval of details reserved by condition
Tree surgeons and arborists in London and the surrounding area are invited to attend our latest event on 13 November.
In recent months the London Borough planning authorities have been working with the Portal to improve the services they provide while reducing waste, costs and red tape.
The London Boroughs are now encouraging all applications for works to trees to be submitted online using the Portal. The event is being held to demonstrate the savings that can be made.
We’re especially encouraging those who currently submit on paper by post to attend – if you’re already submitting online you won’t get as much out of the day.
The event is free and sessions will include:
- How submitting tree applications online will save money and provide a competitive edge for you and your company
- A talk about the benefits one specialist tree company has realised through regularly submitting applications via the Portal
- A day in the life of a tree officer – offering an insight into a local authority tree officer’s working day
The event is taking place on Wednesday 13 November 2013. The venue is the Lord Mayor’s Reception Rooms, Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6QP.
There are two sessions. The first session starts at 10am (registration from 9.30am) and finishes at 12.30pm. The second session starts at 1.30pm (registration at 1.00pm) and finishes at 4pm.
Places are limited so we advise you to register ASAP .
Planning Portal Blog 