Pilot project to help residents steer planning

Harborough District Council is piloting the user-friendly software after the local authority received £125,000 funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ PropTech Engagement Fund.

To test out this exciting new software Harborough District Council is running a ‘Quick Poll’ on green spaces. Residents are able to make their comments on existing green spaces online and suggest a new green space in their community.

This exercise is designed to test out the software to ensure that it’s easy to use from desktop computers as well as handheld devices like Android phones, iPhones and tablets, making it attractive to a wide audience with its ease of use and convenience.

Cllr Jonathan Bateman, deputy leader of Harborough District Council, said: “This is a very exciting opportunity; by embracing this new software we can revolutionise the way we consult the public on future development and give people, particularly those who may have been underrepresented in the past, real ownership of the planning process.”

The Council hopes that the platform will encourage more people from a younger demographic than usual to have their say on planning issues.

The Quick Poll is at www.harborough.gov.uk/quickpoll and will be open until 5pm on Monday 12 September 2022.