East Herts saves 10 hours per site using digital call for sites

East Herts saves 10 hours per site using digital call for sites
East Herts District Council used a digital call for sites platform to automate early analysis and reduce site assessment time.
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East Herts District Council tested a digital approach to running a call for sites to support its local plan work.
- Outcome: Saved around 10 hours per site by automating early site identification and data collection.
- Technology used: A web-based call for sites tool developed with Cadcorp and integrated with GIS (geographic information system) data.
This was a PropTech Innovation Fund round 4 pilot (2024) and describes what was tested at the time.
The planning challenge
The council wanted to improve how it ran its call for sites as part of plan-making. It needed to:
- reduce the time officers spent plotting sites and gathering baseline data
- standardise the information submitted for each site
- capture site boundaries and data directly into GIS
- automate early checks on constraints and accessibility
- manage and analyse a large number of submissions more efficiently
Previously, this work relied on manual processes. Officers plotted sites by hand, checked multiple data sources and carried out early site visits to verify information.
What they did
The council developed a digital public call for sites portal with Cadcorp that allowed users to submit sites directly to the council’s GIS.
The portal allowed users to:
- draw site boundaries on a map, select existing land parcels or upload spatial files
- submit site information through a structured online form
- view relevant spatial data linked to their submission
The tool stored each submission in a central database and automatically linked it to existing GIS layers, including planning constraints, services and facilities.
The tool produced:
- GIS layers showing all submitted sites
- individual site summary reports for internal and public use
- a summary view showing the number, location and characteristics of submitted sites
The council used the tool during a live call for sites. This allowed officers to test it in practice and refine outputs based on real submissions.
Image description: Map interface showing the East Herts call for sites ‘plot your site’ tool with options to draw or upload site boundaries.
Image description: Online form used to collect site details, including location, access and nearby services.
Results and impact
At a glance:
- around 290 sites submitted
- 100% of submissions captured digitally
- 95.9% submitted directly through the online portal
- around 10 hours saved per site across early identification and assessment tasks
Identifying and assessing sites
The council received around 290 submissions during the call for sites. Almost all respondents used the online portal directly. Officers entered the remaining submissions, so all responses were captured in a consistent format.
The number of submissions was similar to previous exercises. Initial analysis indicated an increase in smaller and more complex sites. While most submissions came from agents, owners and site promoters, community groups and residents were also represented.
The structured form and mapped submissions made it easier to filter out incomplete or invalid submissions and to analyse sites consistently.
Time spent assessing sites
The pilot reduced officer time across several early-stage tasks.
Before the pilot, officers spent around 15 hours per site on early identification and assessment tasks, including plotting sites, gathering baseline data and carrying out early site visits. During the pilot, total time spent per site fell to under 6 hours.
This reduction mainly came from automated site identification, plotting sites directly into GIS and gathering baseline data automatically.
Professional judgement was still needed. Officers continued to review sites and carry out site visits where required. However, visits could take place later in the process and be more targeted, as confidence in the underlying GIS data improved.
This approach helped speed up decision-making while maintaining professional oversight of site suitability.
What they learned
The council found that:
- automating early tasks delivered the greatest time savings
- reliable GIS data reduced the need for early site visits
- better design of data entry forms would have improved data quality
- planning how outputs would be used was as important as capturing the data
- some assessment work happens later in the plan-making process, so time savings should be treated cautiously
The pilot also supported closer working between planning policy, GIS and digital teams.
Developing this tool with Cadcorp Ltd has helped us to automate processes and save valuable time, allowing us to focus on analysing the responses from our call for sites consultation.
We now hold digital data on submitted sites that integrates with other spatial information, such as site constraints and proximity to areas of growth. These outputs make our site assessments more efficient and will pave the way for easier evidence-based assessment of the sites.
Claire Sime, Service Manager, Planning Policy, Design and Conservation, East Herts District Council.
Future plans
East Herts plans to continue using the tool for future call for sites exercises and to use the data collected to support plan-making.
The supplier is continuing to develop the product for wider use, including improvements to mobile and tablet compatibility.
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Useful resources
Explore tools and suppliers on the Digital Planning Directory.
Read guidance on site identification and assessment using digital tools.
Explore the Open Digital Planning community.
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