Local authorities across the UK digital construction and planning sector are under pressure to make planning policy more accessible. The London Borough of Hounslow addressed this challenge by piloting an interactive, map-based approach to presenting its character and design code, supported by the PropTech Innovation Fund.
Hounslow’s draft character and design code exceeded 700 pages, creating a barrier for residents seeking to understand planning guidance. Officers recognised that traditional PDF documents made it difficult to explore place-based visions, neighbourhood character, site-specific design codes, growth strategies, and the evidence underpinning planning decisions. The council also wanted to test whether digital planning tools could improve usability and broaden participation in local plan consultations.
To respond, Hounslow’s spatial planning team worked with communications and digital colleagues, partnering with Urban Intelligence to test the Local Plan Maker tool. This digital planning platform combined interactive maps, images, structured narrative journeys, and embedded consultation features. The pilot explored how design codes could be navigated through themed and place-based journeys rather than linear documents.
Complex guidance was summarised into shorter sections, with interactive maps used to display neighbourhood visions and design requirements. Story map journeys linked planning text with mapped locations and supporting imagery, helping users understand how policies applied to specific areas. Borough-wide design codes were presented through themed tabs, while the full design code remained available as a PDF for those preferring traditional formats.
Structured questions
Consultation features were embedded directly into the tool, allowing users to respond through structured questions, emoji reactions, image uploads, and free-text comments. Engagement was supported through offline and online promotion, including leaflets, library displays, digital screens, social media, and workshops. Targeted sessions with the youth parliament and disabled residents aimed to reach groups often under-represented in planning consultations.
Fifty-two participants engaged through the digital tool or by email. While overall participation was limited, feedback highlighted the value of interactive mapping for understanding local design guidance. Most respondents focused on their own neighbourhoods, indicating that locally relevant digital planning content can influence engagement. Workshops played a key role in capturing insight from younger and disabled residents, supplementing online responses.
The pilot also identified areas for improvement. Some content was less visible, suggesting the need for clearer navigation. As a prototype, the tool required further technical refinement to address usability issues and improve presentation.
Hounslow plans to develop the Local Plan Maker tool further, adapting it for future planning consultations. Planned improvements include enhanced graphics, expanded interactive features, and better management of consultation responses. The pilot demonstrates how interactive mapping and PropTech tools can support clearer design codes, contributing to more accessible digital planning within the UK construction and built environment sector.
Hounslow’s pilot shows how interactive mapping can support clearer design codes, informing future digital planning consultations and encouraging more accessible engagement across the built environment sector.
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