As the planning system gets a shake-up from the new Labour government, the way people can respond to planning applications is also changing in a way that could potentially alter the development outlook.
The lack of engagement from young people in the planning process, particularly Generation Z, has prompted a new opportunity for residents to get their voices heard and support housebuilding schemes.
Online platforms have been created to alert people to planning applications in their area, giving information about schemes and enabling them to respond. Let’s take a closer look.
Gathering support for housing development
The websites `Give My View’ and `Just Build Homes’ aim to change the way that planning applications are seen and scrutinised by members of the public. These sites have been designed to alter the planning application process from being tailored to objections, to encouraging supporters to have their say.
Rather than the system responding to objections to a scheme, promoting support for applications could bring a fresh perspective to the process. For example, if a planning application received thousands of signatures of support from local constituents, this would outweigh local objections.
Give My View
This digital engagement platform aims to reach a young and diverse audience to obtain community feedback. Users complete an online survey that allows them to describe their relationship to a specific scheme and comment on it.
Henry Bliss, client services lead at `Give My View’ explained the concept of an online way for people to engage with the planning process.
`Give My View’ was driven by the need for more inclusive and accessible community engagement, whatever the development or policy. This was highlighted in a recent project where 90% of community respondents said they prefer responding to consultation online. Solely relying on traditional methods (and poor use of digital) will exclude large segments of the community due to time constraints, family life, or lack of awareness.
We saw an opportunity to overcome these barriers using technology. Getting involved shouldn’t feel like a chore or be too technical. Our goal was to create a digital platform where anyone could easily share their views and participate in shaping their local surroundings. This would lead to easier decision-making and a more balanced process.
He commented that `Give My View’ has grown steadily since its launch in 2019, and the fact that it supports multiple languages allows it to reach a broad spectrum of users, making community participation more inclusive. He added:
Interest varies depending on area and project, but we engage with all demographics. Just because it’s a digital tool, does not mean only the youth get involved. Our marketing strategies ensure all ages are targeted. We tailor ads to resonate with different age groups, helping them see the importance of being involved in shaping their communities. Younger groups have the opportunity to make their voices heard, which they might not have done previously, but older people can of course answer too.
`Give My View’ has the potential to help transform the planning system by making it more transparent and inclusive. By providing planners and decision-makers with detailed, representative data from a broader spectrum of the community, the platform can lead to more informed and better decisions. This not only enhances the quality of developments or policy but helps build trust between the community, developers and local authorities. As community participation increases, we see a more collaborative planning process, where every voice is heard, leading to better places and more homes for those in need.
Just Build Homes
This website evolved to cater to younger people who were not engaging with the planning system for various reasons. It found that while Generation Z is most likely to support new housing development, this age group is the least likely to use the planning portal system, believing that it’s geared toward people wanting to make objections. Also, young people who are working find it impossible to attend planning meetings held during working hours. As a result, the planning system appears to be less relevant to the younger generation, with older generations more likely to object to housebuilding schemes.
`Just Build Homes’ aims to appeal to young people who want to support housing: its website states that 57% of people support housebuilding in their own area. The website enables users to find proposals for new homes in their area and give reasons for supporting them. There are over 8,000 people actively engaging in local planning decisions via `Just Build Homes’, which works with public bodies, local planning authorities, developers and social housing providers.
Increase engagement with the planning system
More methods of reaching out to younger people and disseminating information about the advantages of specific development schemes should be explored, according to Paul Brocklehurst, chairman of the Land, Planning and Development Federation, who commented:
I think that we need to be aware that in many districts only a third of the electorate turn out to vote, and it is heavily skewed to the older demographic. Accordingly, I think platforms such as these are positive in trying to reach a younger demographic that is priced out of the housing market or suffering the insecurity and costs of the rented sector.
Fundamentally, the industry needs to engage with the community, but in particular, the excluded who need and deserve a home of their own. That is why we are also supportive of other methodologies, including local polling, citizens panels, and perhaps even making it mandatory that the local authorities canvas opinions of those on the housing waiting lists when major applications are received. The onus should be shared, it’s not just the developer’s responsibility to engage with all in the community but the local authority’s as well, and in this era of social media and AI we all need to be finding the methodologies to do so.
Positive PR for development schemes
If the benefits of development can be fully appreciated by the local community, leading to widespread support, it would be difficult for planning committees to reject applications, commented Richard Dean, managing director of Manchester property development company Qualis Developments. Mr Dean, who has worked in the property development industry for over 30 years, predominantly in housebuilding, said:
The planning process has become the biggest blockage in the delivery of new housing. Typically, a planning application (with reports) will cost from £30,000 to over £500,000 and in some cases significantly more. In addition, the time it takes to first register and then determine an application has increased, partly due to the complexity of applications and also delays with Section 106 legal agreements.
Another major factor is the political nature of the planning process. Local councillors sit on the planning committee and can feel pressured to go against a proposal where there is significant objection from locals, who may have voted them into their position. When a committee goes against an application it will often lead to the applicant appealing the decision which adds further cost and time to the process.
If we can find a way for more applications to be approved at committee, where there is a recommendation for approval, then this will be a welcome improvement. There is an opportunity for professional PR support to help achieve this aim, by informing locals of the benefits of the proposal as has been shown by ‘Just Build Homes’ and others. There will always be objections from neighbours as very few people want to see change, but a well-prepared PR case should be able to reduce the number of objections to an application, and help elected councillors make an informed decision without the added pressure.
Planning ahead
Changes to the way that people can respond to planning applications are clearly overdue and websites such as `Give My View’ and `Just Build Homes’ are a refreshing innovation. Such sites could be part of a transformational shift in how people regard planning applications: allied with positive PR about the community benefits of new development, it may be possible for schemes to garner support and outweigh opposition.
By Tom Fenton 
By Annie Button 
