Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Gov.UK Housing. Read the original article for full details.
Central Bedfordshire Uses Digital Mapping to Assess Development Sites
Central Bedfordshire Council has piloted a digital approach to analysing local services and infrastructure capacity, aiming to improve the identification and assessment of potential development sites. The council used the PlaceMaker platform as part of a PropTech Innovation Fund pilot in 2024.
The council sought to address challenges in its local plan process by reducing reliance on sites submitted solely through the call for sites, identifying additional opportunities, and considering infrastructure capacity earlier in planning. During the previous local plan, infrastructure was a key concern for residents and local councils, prompting the council to seek a more transparent and proactive approach.
Using PlaceMaker, Central Bedfordshire Council assessed all land parcels in the authority area based on access to local services and infrastructure capacity. This process created an evidence base to support both proactive site identification and site assessment. The council ran both brownfield and greenfield calls for sites using the platform.
A key outcome of the pilot was the development of an infrastructure opportunity score (IOS), which was applied to every Land Registry parcel in Central Bedfordshire. The IOS combined data on the presence of local services such as public transport, education, health, retail, employment, community facilities, and leisure spaces. Access to these services was measured using walking or driving catchments, depending on the type of facility.
Specialist officers contributed to refining the score by developing weightings and score caps. Where possible, national datasets were used to ensure the approach could be updated and extended beyond the authority boundary.
Capacity data was included where reliable datasets were available. For education, national school capacity data was used, with thresholds agreed with education colleagues. For health, GP capacity was assessed using patients per square metre of building floorspace, with thresholds informed by the integrated care board. Some health data was later removed due to difficulties obtaining information for practices outside the immediate area.
The infrastructure opportunity score was mapped across the authority, highlighting areas with higher or lower infrastructure opportunity and constraint. Separate maps were produced for education and health capacity. The score was embedded into the digital site assessment process, allowing officers to view it alongside other suitability information and filter land parcels accordingly.
Source: Gov.UK Housing