ONH: Planning for Good is delighted to have launched a number of digital plan products with clients over the last month. The government is keen to make planning digital and accessible for all – but what are the benefits over a PDF document and maps?

Community engagement

• Improve survey response rates: every area has a ‘hard-to-reach’ group of residents who don’t regularly take part in public consultations. With digital surveys barriers to participation can be removed from the equation. A digital survey can be easily completed at home, on the train to work, or at a school. We know that younger people, people with disabilities, and working families engage more often in digital consultations than paper options.
• ONH’s digital survey and mapping option offers much more than other online survey platforms. Map based questions that could previously only be delivered in person, with paper maps on hand, can now be delivered anywhere – with community input recorded directly to digital maps. This process smoothly creates an excellent evidence base for future projects and policies.

Design Codes

• Each design code follows a careful process of character area analysis and creating a vision for the future. The final product is an easily digestible code that any person wishing to build in the area can follow.
• Design Codes can offer guidance at every project size, from extensions to new developments, and tackle inappropriate and out-of-character development; promote higher environmental standards; identify areas for improvement; and protect key views.
• But why go digital? Digital planning documents, including design codes, are easier to find, search and understand than PDFs loaded onto a website, improving awareness of your design code and how to apply it.

Neighbourhood Plans

• Neighbourhood Plans are here to stay: consider a plan if you would like to create clear planning rules for your local area based on evidence created by and for your community, specifically for and about that place.
• Neighbourhood Plan websites offer clear and easy-to-navigate plans, helping users to find information quickly.
• Using ONH’s online service also allows multiple digital tools to be integrated into one platform, from blogs to post community updates and consultation opportunities.
• Digital policy maps are particularly useful. Users can zoom in, search and scroll around an area to see which policies apply where.

Locality grant funding for Neighbourhood Plans and Design Codes is still available.

Accessibility

• Digital products improve accessibility – allowing users to adjust the document to suit their personal preferences and needs for example: adjustments to the text size; colour contrast; and the ability to navigate quickly and easily straight to the content they are looking for.

Cost effective and straight forward

• As specialists in community planning, ONH regularly work with parish, community and town councils. ONH’s digital products are cost effective and straight forward to use.

Want to know more? Contact ONH: Planning for Good, specialist planning consultants. ONH: Planning for Good is the new name for Oneill Homer.