Digital Planning Improvement Fund

Complete the assessment to understand how digital tools, data and ways of working currently support your planning service. Use the results to identify strengths and prioritise improvements.

MHCLG will:

• provide the framework for the assessment
• provide support to complete the assessment

help you use your results to develop an action plan, which may include improvements to planning data, staff training, recruitment or software configuration

Your authority will coordinate and complete the assessment.

Use your assessment results to agree priorities, actions and responsibilities. Your action plan will help you decide how to use the funding and support available to improve your planning service’s digital capability.  

Your authority is responsible for agreeing priorities and leading delivery. 

Carry out the improvements agreed in your action plan. These should address your authority’s needs and strengthen the data, skills and processes required to use digital planning tools effectively.

Activities could include:

• improving your organisation’s planning data
• configuring your planning software
• training staff

Use your assessment results and action plan to identify the skills your staff need to deliver improvements and use digital tools effectively. You can also include training needs your authority has already identified, such as making better use of existing development management software.

MHCLG will:

• signpost to training and skills development opportunities that meet your needs
• provide funding for local planning authority staff to undertake training in line with your action plan
• provide funding for backfill so staff can carry out improvement work identified in your action plan

Your authority will:

• identify the skills needed to deliver and maintain improvements
• take part in relevant training and events
• arrange backfill where needed so staff can complete training and improvement work

The Planning Data Platform collects planning and housing data from local planning authorities in England and brings it together in a consistent format. Anyone can view, download and analyse the data.

Accurate, up-to-date planning data in a consistent format is easier for digital tools to use. Publishing and maintaining this data helps your authority prepare to adopt tools that rely on it, including AI.

MHCLG will:

• provide support and guidance to identify, improve and publish your datasets
• provide funding for dedicated support to carry out this work
• provide funding for data or geographical information system (GIS) staff to undertake training identified in your action plan
• provide funding for backfill so staff can carry out improvement work

Your authority will:

• assign staff with suitable GIS and data skills to carry out the improvement work
• arrange backfill or recruit to GIS and data roles where needed
• identify the training staff need to maintain and improve planning data as standards change
• take part in relevant training opportunities and events
• establish processes to check, update and publish your planning data

Your authority must publish the following 4 geospatial datasets:

• conservation areas
• article 4 directions
• listed buildings
• tree preservation orders

Your authority is responsible for keeping its published datasets up to date.

Open Digital Planning brings together local authorities and digital planning professionals to improve the planning system. Your authority will have opportunities to learn from others, share its progress and contribute practical experience to shared work.

Through Open Digital Planning, your authority can access guidance and learning opportunities to build digital skills. These may cover agile ways of working, AI, user-centred design and working with software suppliers.

As part of onboarding, your authority will receive an introduction to Extract, an AI-powered tool that helps turn scanned documents and maps into structured planning data.

MHCLG will:

• provide a communication platform for local planning authorities to connect, share and work together
• invite members to community events to learn and build connections with other authorities

Your authority will:

• share progress, challenges and learning with other authorities
• use guidance and resources on the Open Digital Planning Hub
• take part in relevant community events, learning opportunities and discussions
• contribute experience and feedback to shared digital planning work

We’ll ask you to name your application so you can find it again if you save and return later. 

We’ll ask for contact details for your:

• project sponsor
• section 151 officer
• lead contact

We’ll ask whether your authority has delivered similar projects before and, if so, for details of those projects. 

We’ll ask about your arrangements for delivering the project, including:

• whether you have a team ready, and if not, how you plan to establish one
• who’s involved and how the team is structured, if known
• whether you need to backfill any roles and the estimated costs

We’ll ask:

• why your authority wants to take part in Open Digital Planning
• how your project team will work with other teams and departments within your authority
• how you will share progress across your authority

We’ll ask about your authority’s planning data, including:

• whether you collect data on conservation areas, article 4 directions, listed buildings, and tree preservation orders
• which datasets you have collected and their formats
• how long you expect it to take to publish the required datasets to the Planning Data Platform
• any challenges you face with data quality and publication

We’ll ask you to confirm:

• your section 151 officer is aware of this funding and it is managed in line with your internal budget management processes
• the information you have provided is accurate