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Introduction

Salford City Council’s planning department embarked on a digital transformation journey aimed at enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in managing planning applications. Over the course of four years, the department procured and implemented three cutting-edge software solutions: a cloud-based back-office system, an artificial intelligence module for planning validation from Agile Applications, and an intelligent document and plan analysis tool.

Challenges

Before the transformation, Salford City Council’s planning department relied on disconnected systems, with application data stored in case management software and documents managed separately in a document management solution.

This setup required time-intensive manual integration, with the validation and registration of a standard householder application taking around 40 minutes. Additionally, basic tasks like measuring distances on plans were cumbersome, and Planning Officers lacked tools for efficient plan analysis and comparison.

These limitations affected both the speed and quality of plan assessments, ultimately impacting the overall quality of proposals.

Solutions

In March 2023, Salford secured funding from the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) as part of the ‘Planning Software Improvement Fund’.

The fund invited Local Planning Authorities to apply for funding via a number of projects around adoption of new services, integration, and, in Salford’s case, ‘improve existing software products and integrations to service providers’. This integration aimed to streamline and automate processes in the validation of, and registration of applications as well as the analysis of submitted plans. Following the completion of the project, Salford achieved seamless integration across the Planning Portal, and the three software solution environments, resulting in significant efficiencies.

Results

The integration of the Agile AI Validator into the other software solutions Integrating the Agile AI Validator with other software solutions has significantly reduced the time required to validate and register a standard householder application, cutting it from 40 minutes to just 15 minutes. The AI Validator’s seamless integration with various back-end systems enhances flexibility and ensures compatibility across different software environments. This allows planning authorities to harness cutting-edge AI technology without the need to replace their existing back-office systems, offering groundbreaking advancements with no risk or compatibility concerns.

“As an authority receiving around 600 householder applications each year and almost 2,000 applications in total, this improvement has been transformative in enhancing efficiency and accuracy in application processing. Focusing on process improvements and closely integrating their tools, we have created an efficient working environment for all technical team members”.

Anthony Stephenson
Development Manager - Salford City Council

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