Plymouth City Council

Advances in technology simplify our daily lives, but the planning system remains a highly technical, complicated environment. Our experience of neighbourhood planning suggests many feel overwhelmed by this complexity. We want to create a transparent digital environment that presents our policies, evidence, plans and data intuitively to improve our relationship with citizens. We will explore creating a web-based network of information, where key messages and policies are seamlessly linked to their supporting evidence and data. The user experience will be key with technical planning or legal issues displayed in a meaningful way. The system will utilise interactive graphical displays and web-maps to provide alternative ways to access and interpret data, making planning more open and easier for communities to engage with. This journey began with DATAPlay, our acclaimed interactive plan and award winning consultation. We estimate £30,000 will be required to develop the project with our partners.

Taking an Open First approach to data and Digital by Design approach to service design, the culture of planning service delivery and embedding digital improvements will change. Our open-source approach to digital improvements is guided by commitment to ensure that other Authorities can adopt services into existing digital infrastructure.