We launched our Smarter Planning Scheme in late October and we’ve had a huge amount of interest since then. So far over 200 planning professionals and 100 LPAs have submitted expressions of interest in joining the scheme.
If you have contacted us with an expression of interest please rest assured one of our account managers will get to you as soon as possible.
In the meantime, we’ve created a Frequently Asked Questions document which tries to answer some of the key questions we’re getting asked during the Smarter Planning process.
If you’re waiting to hear back from one of our account managers, or you have some questions about the scheme, please spare five minutes to read the FAQ document.
Read the document on the Portal (PDF 279KB).
By the end of November we had already processed 276,941 planning applications for the year. That’s 2,101 more than the total achieved for the whole of 2011.
Thanks to everyone for your continued support and keep them coming.
Updated applications by month 2005 – 2012
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Wednesday the 22nd November was our busiest day for applications ever, stopping just short of 2,000 applications in a single day.
I’ve received a request for help from a Planning Portal reader but as I’m no expert I’m passing it on to you good folks.
The reader in question is seeking advice from a specialist with expert knowledge of safe wall heights and lengths.
You can find more information about the request and get in contact with our reader via her Facebook page.
We recently launched our Smarter Planning scheme with professionals and local planning authorities.
Smarter Planning is a partnership between planning agents, local planning authorities and the Portal. The initiative aims to encourage and support best practice in the electronic submission and processing of planning applications.
Take up of the scheme has been very popular since its launch and 67 LPAs have completed the survey to join the scheme.
Of the surveys that have been assessed, 13 LPAs have achieved the requirements so far and been accredited with Smarter Planning Champion status.
They have been awarded the Smarter Planning champion logo and can now proudly display this on their websites.
Due to the high demand to join the scheme, we are busy assessing the remaining LPA surveys and hope to add further ‘champions’ in the coming weeks.
The 13 LPAs to receive Smarter Planning champion status so far are:
- Brighton and Hove City Council
- Bristol City Council
- Cheshire West and Chester Council
- Cornwall Council
- Coventry City Council
- Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council
- Kirklees Metropolitan Council
- Newark and Sherwood District Council
- Rotherham MBC
- Sefton Council
- Sheffield City Council
- Telford and Wrekin Council
- Westminster City Council
I’d like to share with you some advice from our account management team on best practice for preparing electronic planning applications – a key part of our Smarter Planning scheme.
In workshops and training sessions with planning professionals (and on this blog) an issue that comes up frequently is the 5MB size limit for uploading supporting document files (although there is no limit on the number of files).
I know this is a bone of contention for many of you but I want to focus on ways of working around the size limit rather than having the argument again about why it is there. There’s a discussion on the subject here.
When large documents, particularly reports like environmental impact assessments, have to be uploaded the size limit is an issue. Professionals tell us they either split the report into smaller sections, or they post or deliver it on a CD, or even as a paper copy.
Fortunately, there are ways to deal with the size issue. Read more…
This is the second in an occasional series of inspired gifts for the built environment nerd following hot on the heels of the beardy hat.
The Lego Architecture series with my faourite being The Farnsworth House (see below)
Although it was a close run thing with FLW’s Falling Water.
We’ve made some changes to our application home page this week. We hope it will make a difference to first time users as well as seasoned pros.
Over time the old planning applications home page had grown and grown to the point where there was a vast amount of information competing for attention.
We’ve analysed traffic in and out of the old page, looked at keywords used in incoming searches and tried to cut the page back to the bare essentials.
We hope the result is page that gives first-time users an overview of the service but a clear link into the application service for return visitors. I’d be happy to get your thoughts on the new page.
A note to LPAs
We’ve noticed that many LPA sites link to our main home page when a link to this page may be more appropriate.
If you are telling site visitors they can make an application on the Planning Portal, this link would be more appropriate than the main Portal home page as customers remain in the context of the user journey.
As previously mentioned, the switch-over of the DCLG website to Gov.uk has meant that some links from the Portal have been broken.
In the meantime you could try the search facility on the new site to find DCLG policy and other documents as they are migrated. Legislation can be found here.
As you’ll undoubtedly already know, planning fees in England have increased by 15% from today. The revised fee schedule is available from the Portal.
We have made the necessary changes to the fee calculator to take this increase into account and the Portal elves successfully deployed the new structure while you slept. The switchover worked fine and the fee calculator is working correctly to reflect the new fees.
If you had an application in draft on the Portal the system will have updated the fee for you automatically. You will need to confirm the fee before you submit it.
The planning fee increase was determined by the Department for Communities and Local Government (not the Portal – so don’t shoot the messenger) and was communicated to English local planning authorities last week.
I really want to keep this blog thriving, successful and open to all who wish to contribute without fear or favour.
In order to do so and to keep a sense of vague decorum as befits a Civil Servant, I have a few house rules, break them and you’ll find your comments do not reach the masses who sit patiently waiting for the next slice of portal pie.
The rules are simple:
- Be nice, and if you can’t be nice be constructive at least.
- Don’t name individuals or organisations, unless you are praising them.
- Say what you like about me (but remember I’m human too!)
Thanks
Planning Portal Blog 