Designing new digital planning products
Our members have been working with technology companies to design new digital planning products that demonstrate what better software could look like. These products aim to dramatically improve the experience of the people using them. They place an emphasis on improving the use of data so that planning applications are more accurate and quicker planning decisions can be made.
So far, we have collaborated on PlanX and BOPS, and the Digital Site Notices project.
Our members also work with existing technology providers to develop and adopt product improvements and integrations that aim to reduce planning application processing times by 20% and improve the way planning data can be used.
Applicants and agents can submit applications correctly the first time round, and council officers can use a data-rich service designed around their needs to make planning decisions quicker.
About the products we have designed
PlanX
PlanX, a content management system for planning services, has two main types of services: guidance and application submission. User friendly, step-by-step services backed by planning rules help applicants submit the right thing first time, reducing the number of invalid applications for councils. applications a council receives.
- Find out if you need planning permission
- Report a breach
- Apply for a certificate of lawful development
- Apply for a prior approval
- Apply for planning permission [coming soon]
PlanX allows local authorities to collaboratively build and publish their own powerful, accessible digital planning services. It aims to make planning simpler for everyone.
PlanX is open source, which means anyone can use it or improve it, or provide commercial services around it, like providing it as a hosted software service or writing and maintaining content.
Back Office Planning System (BOPS)
BOPS is an application handling and document management system for local authority planning teams. It centralises the key functions needed to assess and determine a planning application into one system.
Additionally, it is designed around a best-practice workflow that planning officers from multiple councils have contributed to and tested over several years. It provides council planning departments with back-office case management and transactional functions using an easily navigational database.
BOPS currently has the functionality to process Lawful Development Certificate applications and Prior Approvals and is being used to test live applications.
The functionality to process applications for householder planning permissions and full integration with the Planning Portal will be ready by the end of 2023.
“I am immensely proud of the work we have undertaken collectively within ODP, including the development of BOPS. This is an example of partnership working at its' best, bringing passionate experts into a multi-disciplined team, to look at new and innovative ways to make planning better for all.”
Head of Planning & Development, Buckinghamshire Council