Clik here to view.
How one LPA shaved two weeks off application determinations
Back in April I told you about Bristol City council and its newly launched Agent Accreditation Scheme. Six months on and the scheme is going from strength to strength. Our head of LPA engagement Scott...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Smarter Planning – a new way of working
This week we are launching an initiative to encourage and support best practice in the electronic submission of planning applications – something close to my heart. The initiative, called Smarter...
View ArticleClik here to view.
RIBA partnering with the Portal to promote Smarter Planning
The RIBA has just announced that it is partnering with us to promote our Smarter Planning initiative to architects. If you’d like to know more about their take on this please read their practice...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Smarter Planning: Advice on working with the 5MB document limit
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Smarter Planning: some answers to frequently asked questions
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The impact of electronic working on the presentation of planning applications
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Designing effective LPA websites – event update
Thanks to all the LPAs and presenters for braving the weather to attend our ‘Really Useful’ event on 13th February in Huddersfield. Thanks also to Kirklees Council for providing excellent facilities...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Smarter Planning – an update on progress
It’s been around five months since we launched our Smarter Planning campaign and I thought it might be a good time for a progress report. The aim of Smarter Planning is try and remove the ‘them and us’...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Paperless Parish
Although he’s out in the sticks and hasn’t got gas yet, Robin our South West Account bloke is very proud to say that his Parish Council has now moved to a paperless planning committee process. I’d like...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Getting your supporting documents right for online submission
This post was written by Robin Vaissiere, one of our account managers helping both LPAs and applicants with electronic submission. We often hear from customers who want to submit online but need to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Architects, ‘pirates’ and A3 scanners
Your comments on the posts on this blog are a gold mine of information on how our customers are submitting applications electronically – or indeed not. Over the coming weeks I will use some of these...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Is this a record? – the 7 minute planning application
Self-proclaimed biscuit-loving architectural design practice Challinor Hall Associates of Eastbourne tweeted this week that they submitted a Householder Application via the Portal in just seven...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Smarter Planning – a one year report card
We launched our Smarter Planning initiative a year ago this week so I thought I’d bring you up to speed on the progress in the last 12 months. Smarter Planning is a partnership between planning agents,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Councils forecast to make £300m digital shift savings next year’
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to link more effectively to Portal services
The Planning Portal’s content team has produced a short guidance note with links to the most commonly requested planning and building control content on the website. Simple but effective linking can...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Online Non-Material Amendment (NMA) form now live!
I am delighted to let you know that we will be introducing the online version of the Non-Material Amendment form on Thursday 13th March. The form development is complete and has been released on to our...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Calling LPAs: a question about PDF measuring software
The Planning Portal account management team visits many LPAs each week to improve their understanding of how online planning services are operating and evolving. A common topic for many visits is the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
50 LPAs reach Smarter Planning Champion milestone
A total of 50 LPAs have now achieved Smarter Planning Champion status. The most recent is Bolton Council, which reached the milestone last Friday. Bolton has demonstrated it is actively applying best...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chiltern teams up with South Bucks for online working
The Planning Portal is pleased to welcome Chiltern District Council to the community of local planning authorities accepting online applications. Chiltern District Council has been working hard to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Help needed from LPAs
Our colleagues in Defra have been in touch regarding a project they are working on for local authority planners. The project aims to help planners assess applications that could affect protected...
View Article
