The Greater London Authority (GLA) is planning to develop a 3D platform for making details of planning proposals available to the public.
The plan has been outlined in a Smart London blogpost by the GLA’s digital officer Theo Blackwell.
It is based on the view that 3D models available on a digital platform help planners and the public better understand the impacts of proposed developments during the design phase, and could help communities to increase their influence.
Blackwell says the GLA will soon launch a workstream to understand what technology is available. It will have three main aims: to understand how 3D modelling can be used to foresee likely impacts of proposed developments; to find the best solutions for Londoners in how they obtain the information; and to understand the best ways to achieve this as part of the GLA’s wider digital planning transformation work.
Setting the standard
“We are still learning about what other people are doing in this field, but in practice this is still a growth area, with London having the opportunity to lead the way in Europe and setting the standard which others can follow” Blackwell says in the blog.
The news follows the recent revelation that the GLA is also planning to develop a live hub of planning data, providing extra capabilities to that currently available through the London Development Database.
It is intended to provide a wider range of information, including a feed of planning applications, from all of the boroughs in the city.
The authority recently received £100,000 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Local Digital Fund for a planning data automation project, with a commitment from the mayor of London to more than match the amount.
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