Nottingham has been successful in securing a £375,000 Government grant to modernise the planning application process through the use of 3D technology.
The money, which has come from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, will be spent on enhancing a cutting-edge system to map the city in three dimensions.
The project is part of a national £3.2m scheme through the PropTech Innovation Fund involving 27 local planning authorities. Nottingham will work closely with Bradford Council on this particular pilot.
It will improve the planning process as applicants, planning officers, councillors and the public will be able to view accurate, real-life images of how a proposed development will look within the existing built environment. The main aims are:
- To make it easier for people to engage in the planning process;
- Increase the transparency of decision-making;
- Speed up the time taken from application to formal decision.
The City Council has already been using some elements of 3D technology to inform planning decisions but the new funding will enable it to take this much further.
Using the knowledge and learning gathered so far, the authority will work with suppliers, partner local planning authorities (LPAs) and other stakeholders to co-create a range of resources in the form of enhanced 3D tools, 3D data, demonstrators, and support and learning material.
The University of Nottingham has been a key stakeholder in the successful funding bid, which – through its strategic Digital Nottingham initiative – will add to the suite of 3D technologies the City Council will use.
The university has developed an innovative Projection Augmented Relief Model (PARM) that brings maps and models to life. It consists of a three-dimensional model of the city centre which can be adapted through the projection of map-based data from above.
From a planning perspective, it could be used to demonstrate exactly how a new building or development would look and fit alongside the existing infrastructure.
Councillor Pavlos Kotsonis, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Planning at Nottingham City Council, said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve secured this grant money and been chosen as one of a select number of councils to push forward use of exciting new technology to enhance the planning process.
“We have a proven track record of successfully delivering funding bids and we look forward to working with colleagues at Bradford on this innovative project.
“We’ve been using elements of 3D technology in Nottingham for a little while now, but this will enable us to enhance and improve the way it’s harnessed. Then we can share our findings with other councils around the country.
“One of the key things for me is using this new mapping capability to increase public involvement in consultations because this enables us, as the planning authority, to ultimately make decisions which are fully informed and take views from all sides.”
