Guidance

Local Plan Pathfinders: expressions of interest

Published 23 March 2021

Applies to England

Summary of the Local Plan Pathfinders

Funded Pathfinder projects are intended to test digital and data aspects of planning reforms set out in the Planning White Paper. The projects will inform policy and demonstrate how the reforms can benefit the local government sector.

The pathfinder programme will bring together 10 local authorities to look at the digital transformation of local plans, which will speed up the planning process. The transition to interactive map-based local plans underpinned by machine readable open data , local people will be able to engage with planning in their local area more easily, which will increase community involvement and help get homes built more quickly.

The Planning White Paper (PWP) committed to working with local authorities on the reforms, and the wider use of digital. This section covers the suggested content for pathfinders on plan making, in addition to key considerations for implementation, such as necessary resource and financial support.

Scope

Conversion of Local Plans

Digital transformation of local plans is a key proposal within the PWP and is likely to be a significant adjustment for local authorities. We propose to translate existing local plans into the new system, including the adaptation of existing site allocation policies into the land categorisation format and the accompanying annotation document that sits alongside the map. This will help us to understand the impact of proposed land designations and associated policy implications on land allocations, inform a wide range of policies across the reform programme and help to provide evidence for our work on local plan data standards and structural templates.

Data standards and site selection

Data standards within local plans are key for increasing accessibility, transparency and improving decision-making in the planning process and wider planning sector. We would ask local authorities to work, with the support of MHCLG, to implement new data standards through the site selection process.

Call for suggestions 

In addition to the pathfinders outlined above, we are open to suggestions from local planning authorities to explore other aspects of the plan-making process.

Geographical scope

We will aim to run pathfinders with local authorities spread across a range of locations and representative of different contexts in England, including Urban, Rural, Two-tier, Unitary and Joint Plan areas.    

Basic Information

Body/bodies responsible:

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) 

Duration:

The expression of interest will be open from 23 March 2021 to 9 April 2021.

Deadlines:

The deadline for submission of expressions of interest is 9 April 2021.

Question and Answer Session:

We will be hosting a Q&A session for Local Authorities on 31 March 2021. Please register for this session by 29 March.

Contact details:

Please contact us with any queries at LocalPlans@communities.gov.uk

How to respond:

Please use this application form when you submit your expression of interest and return it to LocalPlans@communities.gov.uk by 9 April 2021.

Invitation for Expressions of Interest 

The programme intends to fund 10 projects with specific objectives in mind:

• Pathfinder 1 (up to £80k): The conversion of existing local plans into the new system, including the adaptation of existing site allocation policies into the land categorisation format and accompanying annotation document to sit alongside the map.

• Pathfinder 2 (up to £60k): The use of local plan data standards in the site selection process

• Pathfinder 3 (up to £80k): Local authorities may submit a suggestion for the testing of an aspect of the plan-making reform not covered by Pathfinders 1 & 2.

To apply, local planning authorities must have a recently adopted plan (within last 3 years) for ‘pathfinder 1’, or be in the pre-regulation 18 stage for ‘pathfinder 2’. For ‘pathfinder 3’ local planning authorities will be required to submit a proposal outlining which aspect of the plan-making process they would like to explore.

We will be seeking a mix of proposals from across different locations and contexts.  We expect to select LPAs spread across England with different spatial contexts, development aspirations, geography and GIS resources.  

You may respond by submitting the application form including details listed below.

Application requirements

Background

1. The plan-making reforms are centred around: visual, map-based and standardised plans using the latest digital technology; a simplified approach to land allocation which creates greater certainty for developers and the community; and the use of innovative digital tools to support better community engagement.

2. The digital transformation of local plans will be key for creating standardised, digitally consumable rules and data, which will create a foundation for innovation, transparency, increased accessibility and improved decision-making across the planning sector.

3. Community engagement will continue to play a key role for ensuring that the right levels of growth are identified to meet the needs of the community. In the new system, PropTech and digital tools will be key for making planning proposals more accessible and interactive, supporting the ambition for more effective community engagement.

Application Requirements

4. Please complete the application form details, keeping to the maximum word limit. This covers:

A. Objectives and outputs – a statement identifying which pathfinder you are bidding for and the output expected at the end of the process. 

B. Spatial context – the type of context, or area type that applies to the local authority.

C. Development aspiration – key issues you are aiming to cover/have addressed in the local plan ( e.g. housing allocation, growth through new settlement, urban extension, infill, renewal of high streets or in heritage settings).

D. Stage of plan-making – stage of plan-making at the time of submitting the application (e.g. pre-regulation 18).

E. Pathfinder plan – project plan for the pathfinder which should cover methodology, engagement with users, resources, both financial and human, providing a clear breakdown of how the funding from MHCLG and other contributions will be spent. 

F. The right team and senior stakeholder commitment – outline the proposed team and the roles on the project. You should also engage and list your senior stakeholders and consider governance and how you will continue to ensure engagement from senior stakeholders.    Please also complete the Digital Planning Systems question - list any existing digital Planning and GIS systems used within the local authority. This will not be assessed.

Assessment criteria and weighting

5. We will comply with the Public Contracts Regulations (2015) and adhere to the core principles of transparency, non-discrimination, equal treatment and proportionality.

6. We expect to assess the EoI against all the criteria listed above (A-F), with an even weighting across all criteria.

Pathfinders programme outputs and timescale 

7. LPAs will be expected to:

• hold a kick-off meeting with external suppliers that will form a part of the project team, in which MHCLG officials will be in attendance
• hold bi-weekly show and tells with MHCLG, to provide progress updates and showcase work that has taken place 

8. Three- month interim milestone

Roundtable with MHCLG and all LPAs for knowledge sharing; each LPA will be required to share interim outputs and findings on the relevant pathfinder so far.   

9. Six-month final milestone

• peer review process with MHCLG
• further workshop with officer group and partners to discuss final outputs. 
• feedback session with all LPAs.  

Timeline 

23 March: EoI process launch

29 March: Q&A event registration closes

31 March: EoI Q&A with councils

9 April: Submissions due

12 to 28 April: Selection process

6 May: Notification and appointment

6 May to 14 May: Grant payment

14 May: Pathfinders commence

4 June: Interim milestone

13 August: Final milestone