‘Red tape’ and planning? Surely not.
In addition to the publication of the NPPF, recent changes to PD and the ongoing Taylor Review of planning guidance, the Government is looking to reduce the amount of unnecessary regulations affecting planning and building.
The Red Tape Challenge is being run by the Cabinet Office and is an invitation to the people who deal with regulations day-in, day-out to have their say on what’s holding back the industry.
The current theme is Planning Administration and looks at how we could make the administrative process underpinning the system more efficient and accessible.
It’s not looking at policy and is committed to ensuring that countryside and environmental protections continue to be safeguarded.
If you want an opportunity to highlight areas where you think the system can be made simpler, clearer and easier for people to use, now is your chance.
Over the next five weeks the website will be inviting views on around 180 planning administration regulations across four areas:
- Planning procedure (regulations associated with the development and use of land)
- Planning infrastructure and major projects (including minerals)
- Planning authorities regulations specific to certain geographical areas, including Mayor of London powers and development corporations
- Local planning (regulations associated with local plan making)
You can share your views on the Red Tape Challenge website.
I published an article on Doncaster’s project to go paperless last year.
At the time there were a number of questions relating to how the authority dealt with site visits, viewed large drawings on screen, the IT kit required and how councillors were engaged.
In this blog post (originally submitted as a comment on the original article), Doncaster’s development management principal officer Jenna Rumley offers another review of the authority’s operations one year on and answers some outstanding questions from the last post. Read more…
Now I know you are a shy lot and like to keep your opinions to yourselves but I thought I would make you aware of an opportunity to have your say on the topic of application process simplification.
“Who cares!” I hear you all shout but just in case you want to influence the future of such things as: simplifying the requirements for design and access statements, improving the validation stage and requirements around local authority decisions notices, I have included the link to the consultation for you.
You have until March 4th, 2013 to opine, go on, don’t be shy!
Thanks go to John Danahay in our hard working account team for the following article.
Chris
With electronic submission via the Planning Portal regularly exceeding 60% of applications (and as much as 80% for some LPAs), an increasing number of LPAs no longer print a copy of a Portal application at all.
This lets these LPAs make cost savings but still maintain, or even improve, determination times, particularly of smaller applications.
At these LPAs planning administration and technical staff can accurately check plans and drawings on-screen using on-screen measurement software. Planning officers can access the electronic case files and some even use a laptop or tablet on a site visit.
Many consultees also view planning documents on-screen via the LPA’s website and comment online and most applications have been electronically presented at committee meetings for a few years now. However, for LPAs to get the best from electronic working there may need to be some changes to the traditional way in which a planning application is packaged and presented. Read more…
We’ll be holding an event for LPAs in West Yorkshire in February on the benefits and challenges facing local authorities undertaking channel shift strategies.
Now that online submission of planning applications has become the norm, we’re continuing to work with LPAs on effective methods to help drive the percentage of electronic apps even higher.
In addition, we’re looking at ways LPA websites can improve their user journeys and make use of existing content and advice on the Planning Portal.
Back in October we ran a similar event with local authorities in the South West. This was a well-attended day with speakers from Socitm and a workshop on how to develop effective user journeys and customer-facing planning websites.
The day was attended by around 30 LPAs and general feedback was good. So good, we’re running another in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, on the 13th February. We expect invites to go out at the start of next week.
We also picked up the following post from Shropshire Council’s development team blog about how they used some of the user-centred design techniques covered in the event to good effect while planning the redesign of their own planning pages.
Here’s a link to the User Journey presentation (2.7MB PDF) from the event in October. It’s an introduction to practical methods for designing web pages for your customers. The workshop was run by a user experience expert who kindly gave permission to share the presentation.
Finally, here’s yet another link to our guidance on linking to the Portal effectively.
I was mostly eating and also building Lego Star Wars ships with my boy (other construction models are available – but they’re rubbish!)
However it appears there were 14 planning applications submitted online via the portal on Christmas Day.
223 were submitted on New Years Eve and another 93 apps on New Years Day.
It would appear that the majority of these applicants were men!
Firstly, I’d like to wish a Happy New Year to you all.
Here we are. The craziness behind us and another year of doom and gloom ahead.
Fear not though, the team and I will endeavour to inspire you to overcome the January blues and face the year with fortitude and resilience. I promise to do my utmost throughout 2013 to keep your spirits up with tales of development derring-do and exceptional feats of planning positivism.
For now I offer up a statistical tidbit recounting the Planning Portal’s performance in 2012.
Perhaps surprisingly, given the times in which we endure, we have experienced continued growth across all key measurables (my salary not included).
We have broken a new ceiling, in that we’ve received more than 10 million visits in a single year for the first time (similar to the French picture house, The Louvre) and despite the perceived dip in development, we have seen planning applications submitted via the Portal increase by more than 20,000 to 296,185, an increase of 8% on 2011.
The total number of pages viewed by the good folk of this nation (and a few further afield) was 108,277,506, a massive 12% increase on 2011.
Most notably, there were 10,600,325 visits to our website. This equates to a mammoth increase of 19% on the paltry 8,921,884 received last year.
Other notable metrics include a rise of 17% in downloads of Building Regulations Approved Documents to just short of 2 Million at 1,942,276 and finally this little old blog had more than 110,000 visits, which is extremely gratifying.
Thanks to all who have taken the time to contribute, moan, praise or generally just get involved and in particular to those of you who despite recognising our occasionally less than perfect system, have persevered anyway.
Come on 2013 bring it on! I’ve a feeling that it’s going be a good ‘un.
Whilst it may or may not be the end of the world today, it’s certainly approaching the end of the year and I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for your support in 2012.
I t has been a momentus year for us all at the Portal, dealing with the ever changing planning landscape and reaching our 1 millionth online planning application.
Thanks for bearing with us, for contributing to the blog and for supporting us in our efforts to make planning better, faster and easier.
To those of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope it’s all you wish it to be and to everyone (assuming we make it past 11:11 this morning) a wonderful and prosperous New Year.
Thank
Chris
I am at long last pleased to announce that a root around the Portal sofa has unearthed sufficient funds to allow us to e-enable the Non-Material Amendment form.
We are now instructing our technical and delivery partners and are beginning the development process.
We anticipate that the new form and other improvements will go live in Spring.
As the holiday season approaches and thoughts turn to ridiculous over-consumption and tinsel, I thought I’d share a little festive fun created by the Portal’s very own elves.
Old friends may possibly recognise the interactive card as being rather similar (possibly even identical) to one we sent three years ago – but times are tough and a little bit of recycled Christmas cheer is surely better than none at all.
Our interactive Christmas treat lets you build a snow person (no gender issues here!) to your own exacting standards (should appeal to the control freaks architects out there!) and subsequently email it to a friend, colleague or even family member, if you’re a cheapskate.
The team and I would like to wish you a very merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and a happy new year as well.
Now where did I put that sack, ho ho ho!
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