Local government planners exploring the potential of technologies ranging from 3D and 4D, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and visualisation, application programming interfaces (APIs) to artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) have won £3.2 million worth of central government money under the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)’s ongoing PropTech Innovation Fund.
This is third wave of grants to local planning authorities (LPAs) under the fund, which was set up 18 months ago to promote the use of digital citizen engagement tools and services within the planning process.
In turn, the fund is part of a plan to deliver central government’s vision for a “more accountable and democratic” planning system. The idea: to explore the potential of property technology to do this as part of the emerging market of digital citizen engagement tools and services.
Rounds one and two and a continuous funding process have seen a total of 45 LPAs get funding. Round three is trying to advance the programme by being split into three cohorts to test different technologies.
There is also a new emphasis on helping LPA teams and their proptech partners better work together to demonstrate solutions which improve the visualisation and processing of consultation data. Another new aim is to ensure digital engagement platforms are interoperable and scale their use.
The department said lessons learned from rounds one and two include increasing evidence on how the adoption of proptech digital citizen engagement tools can increase the quantity and quality (diversity and representation) of community engagement.
There is also emerging evidence that digital platforms are helping to increase positive dialogue and support for planning, upskill planning officers and reduce officer time spent processing data, it added.
However, as demand for these digital tools accelerates across LPAs, it has become clear that adoption of proptech by the public is being hindered due to inconsistencies and a lack of standardisation of processing and visualisation of consultation feedback, as well as a lack of interoperability between new and existing platforms.
Round three response
In response, round three has been shaped by a desire to help reduce time and resources lost due to the current complex processing and packaging of consultation information generated from citizen engagement activities.
Projects have also been selected if they might provide clues to solve the challenges of data analysis, management, governance as well as make it easier to visualise and share data across stakeholder and communities’ networks.
“The LPAs who have been awarded funding represent a range of diverse planning teams, projects and opportunities to design digital solutions at scale and pace across the country, some of which are delivering their pilot as part of a joint project team with other LPAs,” DLUHC said.
The first cohort is trialling 3D, 4D, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) models and visualisation to ensure data driven decision making and transparency in planning. Five winners have been announced here, including Nottingham City Council and Bradford Council and Birmingham City Council.
Round three's second cohort is all about solving interoperability and lack of back office integration through developing application programming interfaces (APIs), platform integration and data standards and supplier collaboration. Four LPAs have secured PropTech Innovation money here include Epsom and Ewell District Council and the London Borough of Newham.
The third cohort is focused on working with statutory consultees and tyhe Planning Inspectorate to trial innovative approaches to process and package feedback and representations through the application of new technologies including AI and natural language processing (NLP). Here, grants have been awarded to six projects, including at Bolsover District Council and for the Southwest Hertfordshire Joint Strategic Plan.
