1. Planning
2. Working with LPAs
3. Supporting Development Managers
4. LPA recognition and reward

LPA recognition and reward

The Planning Portal team would welcome contact from any LPA that’s interested in increasing online application submission. By working in partnership with the Portal, we would encourage LPAs to participate in a communication campaign and undertake a range of activities to increase online applications.

Those that partner with the campaign will be recognised and signposted on the Portal as an online advocate. Each LPA will need to proactively demonstrate their endorsement of online applications by:

• clearly demonstrating a preference for online submission on their website
• segmenting agents into the defined categories for the communication campaigns
• communicating a preference for online submission in all planning correspondence
• introduce electronic communications to applicants and agents for all planning correspondence throughout the determination process
• proactively engage consultees in e-consultation to increase the online use of the electronic case file and documentation
• recording and monitoring the impact of all activities on the growth of applications to identify those that are more successful
• aiming to achieve a target of at least 50 per cent of their applications online

For further information on the communications campaign and a tailored proposal for your LPA, click here for contact details.

LPA recognition approach

As part of the overall LPA recognition we shall use a similar principle to that of the green pledge for Agents which has proved successful. The LPA e-pledge will:

• Recognise those that sign up to the campaign activity and give them the  opportunity to also sign up to the e-pledge, stating they will work with us to drive e-planning, increase online app figures and communicate electronically where possible
• We will create a Portal e-pledge logo for LPAs to use on their branding and website to show they are dedicated to the cause
• Create Portal material for LPAs to print and use in their Planning offices (Posters, flyers, etc)
• We will create a separate page on the info for LPAs area of the website and list the LPAs participating and publish their %
• Share this information with the CAM team to ensure the planning agents they deal with are aware if their LPA has accepted the e-pledge.

Communications campaign proposal - Endorsing online submission

Our main KPI is to achieve an increase in online applications while ensuring efficiencies and savings are realised by LPAs to endorse online applications as their preferred method of submission.

As part of the partnership working with LPAs there are several communication campaigns that could be undertaken to stimulate take-up of online applications, and achieve a channel shift of how applicants and agents interact them.

To successfully implement an action plan, we recommend segmenting agents to help understand who submits what and how to target them. For the purposes of this exercise it’s useful to review all applications submitted in the last 3-months and segment them into the following categories.

• Agents that submit everything online (this will inc. the form and all assoc. documentation)
• Agents that submit online but only send the application form
• Agents that submit via paper and send Computer Aided Design (CAD) plans/drawings
• Agents that submit via paper and send hand-drawn plans
• Internal Depts that submit Reg 3 applications
• Any other types of Agent (if you can think of any?)
• Number of applications submitted by an applicants (i.e not using an agent)

It would also be useful to detail what type of application they are submitting as they may only deal with certain types. For example Householder, Full Planning, Advertisement, Trees etc.

LPAs should be able to obtain this information from their back-office system, although the types of plan submitted will probably need input from their Admin team.

LPAs participating the communications campaign will be given a project plan of activities setting out the tasks, resources and timeline to successfully progress and implement the project.