Measuring the impact of the Digital Planning Programme

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) Digital Planning Programme aims to enable a modern and efficient planning system in England. 

We have commissioned an evaluation consortium of RSM and PUBLIC to deliver the monitoring and independent evaluation of the programme. The evaluation is assessing the effectiveness of the programme with a focus on the impact and benefits the programme has delivered and can help shape the way in which the programme can continue to support Local Planning Authorities. 

What the evaluation will involve

Following a scoping study, a process evaluation report considered how the programme has been designed and set up to deliver. The evaluation is currently completing an assessment of the programme’s impact and the funding that has been provided to support the delivery of the programme’s ambitions.  

The impact evaluation is now being completed following engagement with a range of programme stakeholders through interviews, focus groups, case studies and data collection activities, such as a data request form and the now closed Planning Officer survey.  

This evaluation will help to: 

  • measure whether the programme has provided impactful change to the planning sector and Local Planning Authorities (including Planning Officers); 
  • inform how the programme may design and deliver funding streams and interventions in the future; and 
  • measure the programme’s progress toward achieving the outcomes it intended to deliver and assess value for money. 

How you can help

We asked all Planning Officers in England to respond to the Digital Planning Programme Planning Officer survey, which was designed to understand planning-related activities Planning Officers undertake in their Local Planning Authority and based on each officer’s personal experiences. The aim was to ensure that we have a diverse and regionally representative set of responses that can be used to provide rich insights and inform the programme’s impact evaluation. The survey was sent by email to each Local Planning Authority for distribution to all Planning Officers in that Local Planning Authority and was open from Tuesday 7 May to Friday 24 May 2024, taking 10-15 minutes to complete.