Project Overview
A UK district council processing 3,200 planning applications per year was operating on iDOX (legacy planning s...
Technology Stack
Compliance & Standards
The Challenge
A UK district council processing 3,200 planning applications per year was operating on iDOX (legacy planning system, 2006) with no public-facing digital submission, PDF-based applications, and a 90-day average decision time. DLUHC Digital Planning Programme standards, GDS Service Standard Beta assessment, WCAG 2.1 AA, and the Planning Inspectorate digital appeal requirements were mandatory. Budget: £95,000.
Our Approach
GDS Digital Planning Application Journey
GOV.
UK Design System
- conditional form disclosure (full planning vs householder vs permitted development vs prior approval — different form requirements per application type).
- Address lookup (OS Places API — UPRN-based).
- Site plan upload (GeoJSON polygon from web map, or file upload).
- Digital signatures (GOV.UK Sign-In for IDAP authentication).
Application fee calculation
automated from application type and floorspace/units.
Payment
GOV.UK Pay.
DLUHC Planning Data API
site constraints (conservation area, listed building, flood risk zone, Article 4 directions, Tree Preservation Orders) automatically retrieved for the application site address.
Constraint disclosure
applicant informed of relevant constraints before submission.
Planning history
existing planning permissions on the site automatically attached to application record.
Case management
application validation (required documents check), consultation management (statutory consultees — Environment Agency, Historic England, parish councils — notification and response tracking), officer assessment workflow (site visit recording, material considerations checklist, delegated authority threshold), and decision notice generation (templated, conditions library).
Planning Inspectorate
- digital appeal submission for refused applications.
- ClickMasters integrated with the Planning Inspectorate's casework system — application refusal triggers appeal portal link in the decision notice.
Appeal documentation
all application documents available for direct transfer to Inspectorate appeal casework (no re-submission of documentation).
The Results
Digital service live at 16 weeks, £88,000 — under budget.
GDS Beta assessment: passed first attempt.
Digital submission rate: 78% in first 6 months (paper: 100% at launch).
Average decision time: 90 days → 62 days (31% improvement).
Validation failures (invalid applications): reduced 58% (digital validation catches issues before submission).
DLUHC Digital Planning Programme: council included in national planning data pilot.
WCAG 2.1 AA: zero non-compliances.
“GDS first attempt. 90 days to 62 days decision time. 78% digital submission. DLUHC invited us into the digital planning pilot. The validation failure reduction is the one that most surprised us — we were rejecting 34% of paper applications as invalid. The digital form prevents the most common errors." — Head of Planning, UK District Council (name withheld)”
Project Details
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