I thought you might like a view of the finely honed athletes that make up Team PP.
As with our all conquering heroes of the Olympics, Team PP are highly dedicated, committed to excellence and never to be found propping up the bars of Bristol (one of those statements is not true).
They are multi-award winning and help make Britain a better place.
This isn’t the entire team, just those that happened to be in the office when the camera came out, but you’ll get the gist.
Heroes one and all!
OK so while we’re all on a national high I thought this might be a good time to ask for your ideas on how we ought to celebrate our own national achievement.
As any successful wedding planner will tell you there’s no substitute for preparation so I’m starting early.
In April 2013 we will celebrate 10 years since the submission of the first electronic planning application through the Portal.
How do you think we should commemorate the occasion?
80% of local planning authorities now receive more than half their planning applications online, whilst a fantastic 48% of LPAS (193) receieve more than 60% online.
As you may already know we’re now in our 10th year (and still no OBE!) and I’m now busy plotting the next 10.
I know how invaluable (but imperfect) the 1APP system is and I’ve a good handle on the challenges faced by Local Authorities who are squeezed for cash and resources.
What I’d like to hear from you dear readers is where you see the Portal in the future and what you believe our role should be in supporting economic growth and stretched local services.
I’d like to hear what services or products you might like us develop, what you value about our services today, what you’d keep and what you wouldn’t.
I’d also like your views on the emerging trends we might hang our hat on and perhaps even which services might you be willing to pay for.
I’m happy for your view to be ‘big picture’ or detail focussed but as always keep ’em clean and keep ’em constructive.
Update March 2015: I thought I’d revisit this popular post from 2012 and 2013. I’m sure there are new apps out there to help planning and building professionals do their job. We’ve added the recent Pocket Guide to Planning. Please let me know if there are any you think should be added.
Here’s a list of some of the smartphone and tablet apps you recommended for fellow planning (and building control) colleagues.
Feel free to send me any more suggestions as a comment below and I’ll add them to the list.
Thanks to all who provided these suggestions. The table below now includes additional apps mentioned in the comments.
In the extremely unlikely event that you remain unconvinced of the value of e-submission, please read and circulate freely the following independent report.
In this case the report focuses on Tree applications but could as easily apply to many application scenarios.
Thanks to CAS for the feedback.
As regular readers of this blog will know, the last few months have seen a lot of activity around our application service with multiple improvements, fixes and changes.
With so many changes coming through I thought it might be helpful to put together a headline summary of the changes we have made over the last few months – and flag up some that are on the way.
Last Thursday we hosted a free training event at our offices in central Bristol to encourage tree professionals in the area to submit their works to trees and TPO applications online.
The event was the first of a series of activities we are delivering in partnership with our four neighbouring West of England local planning authorities (LPAs) to look at ways to improve the planning services they provide while reducing waste, costs and red tape. Read more…
I’ve been noticing an iPad or two appearing in meetings and in the office recently – brought from home and not government-subsidised, I hasten to add!
With tablet and smart phone sales surging and PC sales waning I’d be very interested to understand how colleagues in planning and building control are using mobile technology – be it a smart phone or a tablet or indeed something else – as part of their working day.
- Are any local authorities or inspectors using them for site visits?
- Any architects using any of the apps for basic (or maybe not so basic) drawings?
- Any plans to switch from traditional computing models to enable more mobile working?
- Does anyone use the Portal for information or accessing applications on a tablet or other device?
- Do you have any recommendations for essential apps for planning and building?
Please let me know by adding a comment below.
It’s National Transplant Week and any of you who know me of old will also know that this is a cause that is close to my heart kidney (Google “Chris Kendall Kidney” if you’re new here and want to know why).
If you’re not already on the Organ Donor Register then please consider it.
If you are on the register already, please take this reminder as an opportunity to talk to your family about your wishes. It’s important as around 30% of viable registered donors have their wishes overturned by their families in the event of their death.
With three people dying every day in the UK for want of a kidney thats just a bloody waste.
Thanks
(Soapbox now back in the cupboard)
Planning Portal Blog 