Testimonies and Case studies

• Case study 1: Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council

The Planning Portal reached a milestone in January 2004 as it passed the 50 per cent point for local authority take-up.

Rochdale Borough Council joined the e-planning drive on 14 January with a view of fully integrating its operations with the Portal.

Rochdale's senior planning and regulation services officer Ken Usman-Smith explains how the sign-up process worked with the Portal.

How did the Planning Portal team assess Rochdale's e-planning requirements?

"The Portal team spent time with Rochdale MBC up front to ensure they had a thorough understanding of our current and future needs and how they could be met.

"They then worked with us to ensure that they could be met and that we had a thorough understanding of what the Portal could offer and the benefits we would gain."

How did your partnership with the Portal begin?

"At the first meeting the Portal's customer management team provided a simple step-by-step data capture form, which we completed and returned the day we got it.

"From sign-up to full integration with the Portal at level one took just 24 hours. It has been a true 'plug and play' experience to link Rochdale MBC to the web-based planning community through one simple operation.

"We have been impressed with the high level of informed support the Portal team are happy to offer at a moment's notice."

Following sign-up what has Rochdale being doing to deliver an e-planning solution for its customers via the Portal?

"We are now putting in place the infrastructure and back office links to complete full integrated status with the Portal over the next few months.

"This will take place as we develop our IT capabilities based on our GIS (Geographical Information Systems) products moving to integrate all our operations online well before the 2005 deadline.

"We will be using the technical expertise of the Portal as well as the PARSOL pathfinder to provide a true example of 'joined up' local government."

• Case Study 2: Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council joined the Portal at Advanced level in March 2003 with plans to move to the Integrated level in the near future.

Wakefield's information and support team leader (development control services) Steven Daley outlines how the council worked with the Planning Portal to deliver e-planning operations.

How did Wakefield first engage with the Planning Portal project?

Since March 2003 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council have partnered with the Planning Portal to provide the citizens of Wakefield with up-to-date information and guidance on the planning system and access to electronic planning application forms.

More recently Wakefield has been working closely with the Planning Portal to deliver a service by which the users can create an online Planning Application that can be submitted, with payment and attachments, electronically to Wakefield at their convenience.

How did the Portal's technical support team assist Wakefield in delivering its online services?

Some aspects of the technology to deliver this service were new to Wakefield but the Planning Portal has been very helpful and supportive, providing consultative and technical advice and guidance, to assist us in delivering an e-enabled planning application service.

The availability and knowledge of the Planning Portal team ensured that the delivery of this service was a quick and easily understandable process.