Image source: istock.com/Studio Chlorophylle Serge Nied
The Open Digital Planning (ODP) group has outlined a series of initiatives in the development of the Back Office Planning System (BOPS) over the coming year.
These include all minimum viable product (MVP) application types being available by the spring and integration with the Planning Portal.
BOPS has been created with support from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Planning Software Improvement Fund for planning officials to manage permitted development applications, tracking progress and adding the information they need to make decisions.
Freya Cunnigham, a planning officer at Southwark Council, said the provision MVPs for applications will unlock opportunities for user testing, gathering metrics and exploring the value in the system; and that integration with the Planning Portal will encourage local authorities to adopt BOPS as their primary back office planning system.
She also pointed to plans to develop an ODP data schema, test on consultee features, bulk test applications, run accessibility tests, produce onboarding guides and run roadshow events with local authorities.
ODP – a community of council officers and digital and technical experts in local government planning – is also moving towards becoming a not-for-profit legal entity owned by councils.
