Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Laying the foundations for better local public services
Applications to Round 1 of the PropTech Engagement Fund are now closed – thank you to everyone who has submitted an Expression of Interest.
We have selected the successful applicants and are currently supporting 13 local authorities to deliver digital citizen engagement projects by Spring 2022, in line with the proposed themes of Round 1 (outlined below). Read more about the local areas that will trial innovative planning tools in this press release.
The Planning for the Future White Paper set out a vision to increase the use of digital engagement within the planning process, to make the planning system more accountable and democratic by offering alternative routes to engage alongside traditional forms of engagement.
In August 2021, MHCLG launched the PropTech Engagement Fund to support the widespread adoption of digital citizen engagement tools and services within the planning process. The council-led funded projects will enable us to better understand the barriers to be overcome to allow local authorities to adopt these tools at scale. Read the fund launch blog post to find out more.
The PropTech Engagement Fund has begun with engagement around the plan-making process and development management, two key areas of consultation where digital can help broaden the range of voices and views being heard. We recognise there is an emerging market offering digital citizen engagement tools and services; our approach is to foster and steer these existing market offerings and accelerate adoption.
Each of the funded LPAs will procure and test a digital engagement tool or service to address one of the four themes:
We aim to test local authorities spread across a range of locations and representative of different contexts in England, including Urban, Rural, Two-tier, Unitary and Joint Plan areas.
PropTech Engagement Fund: Expression of Interest guidance (Word version)
PropTech Engagement Fund: application template (Word version)
These files may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. To request an accessible format, please email [email protected].
Expression of Interest process launch
Q&A event registration closes
Expression of Interest Q&A with councils
Submissions due
Selection process
Notification and appointment of LPAs
Finalise reporting of projects, and learnings to be shared across LPA and DLUHC network
