Surrey Heath Borough Council has been successful in securing £100,000 grant from the national Digital Planning Improvement Fund to digitise its planning system and improve residents access to services.
This funding will enable the council to provide a digital platform to assist in engaging with local communities more effectively in the planning process.
Surrey Heath Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Transport & Planning Cllr Alan Ashbery said: “This was a great bid put in by our planning team and an opportunity for the council to continue to move forward into a new digital age.
“A new digital platform will make it easier for diverse voices in Surrey Heath to participate in the creation of long-term visions, help deliver effective services and make a far better, more accessible experience and smoother process for all stakeholders.”
Speeding up decision-making for both planning officers and applicants, the grant awarded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will see improvements to the planning system making it more efficient, and increasing a better understanding of and engagement in the planning process.