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.
East Herts Council Cuts Site Assessment Time with Digital Platform
East Herts District Council has saved around 10 hours per site by adopting a digital call for sites platform to automate early analysis and reduce site assessment time. The council used a web-based tool developed with Cadcorp, integrated with GIS data, as part of a PropTech Innovation Fund pilot in 2024.
The council aimed to improve its call for sites process, which supports local plan work, by reducing manual plotting and data collection, standardising submissions, and automating early checks on constraints and accessibility. Previously, officers relied on manual processes, including plotting sites by hand and checking multiple data sources.
The digital portal allowed users to draw site boundaries on a map, select existing land parcels, or upload spatial files, and submit site information through a structured online form. Each submission was stored in a central database and automatically linked to GIS layers, including planning constraints, services, and facilities. The tool generated GIS layers showing all submitted sites, individual site summary reports, and a summary view of site characteristics.
During the live call for sites, the council received around 290 submissions, with 100% captured digitally and 95.9% submitted directly through the online portal. Officers entered the remaining submissions to ensure consistency. The number of submissions was similar to previous exercises, with most coming from agents, owners, and site promoters, as well as some from community groups and residents.
The structured form and mapped submissions made it easier to filter out incomplete or invalid entries and to analyse sites consistently. Before the pilot, officers spent around 15 hours per site on early identification and assessment tasks. With the digital tool, this time fell to under 6 hours per site, mainly due to automated site identification and data collection.
This case study highlights the potential for digital tools to streamline site assessment processes, which may be of interest to letting agents and inventory clerks involved in property data management and local plan submissions.
Source: Gov.UK Housing