Transforming planning services
Doncaster Council already had systems for submitting applications for pre-application advice and reporting planning breaches online. However, these systems were limited in functionality and integration leading to frustration among service users and planning officers.
The council faced several challenges, including:
- Receiving incomplete or poor-quality information from users
- Relying on excessive manual processes for officers to compile and publish data
- Handling unnecessary service requests that could have been avoided with a more functional digital platform
As members of ODP, Doncaster Council embarked on two distinct journeys to improve their Report a Breach and Pre-Application Advice services.
The council’s objectives included:
- Make planning services accessible and easy to understand for service users.
- Streamline the process and collect more valuable information from an officer’s perspective to improve the quality of responses.
- For the Report a Breach service, focus resources on allegations relevant to planning and developments requiring planning permission.
- Tailor the service flow to ensure users understand the relevance of the questions they are asked, preventing the submission of unnecessary reports (e.g., for developments already permitted or granted planning permission).
Report a Breach
The previous Report a Breach process relied on a basic webform that required council officers to manually extract and process data, leading to inefficiencies and misdirected complaints. By adopting PlanX, Doncaster:
- Directed users to check if a breach required planning permission via the Check If You Need Planning Permission service, reducing unnecessary complaints
- Streamlined data submission for their planning enforcement team
Collaborating with Buckinghamshire and Medway councils, Doncaster developed an enhanced Report a Breach service. Officer research and iterative development ensured the service was user-friendly and effective.
Monitoring and evaluation results
The council regularly reviews user feedback to refine its Report a Breach service, ensuring it remains accessible and effective. Key monitoring outcomes include:
- Reduction in enforcement complaints: By directing users to check if a breach requires planning permission via the Check If You Need Planning Permission service, unnecessary complaints have been reduced.
- Efficiency gains: The structured system has streamlined data submission, allowing planning enforcement officers to focus on valid complaints.
Pre-Application Advice
Recognising the need for improvement, the council conducted a thorough review of their Pre-Application Advice service, collaborating with planning officers, agents, and developers to design a service that better met user needs. This process included:
- Reviewing findings from a Planning Advisory Service study on pre-applications
- Conducting a critical friend review of existing services
- Creating a new application service flow and payment schedule
With support from PlanX developers (Open Systems Lab), Doncaster launched three PlanX-powered pre-application services:
- Pre-Application Advice
- Trees Pre-Application Advice
- Listed Building Pre-Application Advice
One significant challenge was managing VAT (Value Added Tax) for discretionary pre-application services. The PlanX platform addressed this by configuring metadata to ensure payments comply with VAT requirements, integrating seamlessly into Doncaster’s financial systems.
Monitoring and evaluation results
The council also monitors the performance of the service, tracking resolution times and determination periods for subsequent applications. Results include:
- A reduction in the time to validate pre-applications to just 0.44 days.
- A significant decrease in the valid-to-decision period from 50 days to 29 days.
- These improvements demonstrate the effectiveness of the service in reducing delays and ensuring first-time application validity.
User research
Extensive user research underpinned the development of Doncaster’s services. Input was gathered from:
- Collaboration with end-users: Input from the public, planning agents, and others.
- Technical support officers: Ensured functionality and accuracy in application validation.
- Finance and ICT teams: Supported integration requirements for smooth operations.
- Planning officers: Feedback on addressing operational needs for handling enquiries.
- Customer services teams: Ensured frontline staff found the system user-friendly.
The council's holistic approach ensured the development of efficient and fit-for-purpose services.
What’s next for Doncaster?
Building on its success, Doncaster plans to expand its digital planning services further. Upcoming initiatives include:
- Digital applications for lawful development certificates and householder planning.
- Fast-track application services.
- Potential adoption of Newcastle’s Validation Checker.
- Launching PlanX-powered services, including Building Regulation submissions, Works to Trees, and Digital Site Notices.
Want to know more?
To learn more about Doncaster Council’s digital transformation journey, contact the Open Digital Planning team.