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Planning Advisory Service (PAS)
Open group | Started - July 2012 | Last activity - Yesterday

Planning software systems

Michael Martin, modified 1 Year ago.

Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 15 Join Date: 14/11/16 Recent Posts

We are looking into replacing our current database management, document management and mapping systems.

I would be interested to know which systems other Councils are using, what works well, what could be improved upon, any pitfalls and lessons learnt please.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Hans Bray, modified 1 Year ago.

RE: Planning software systems

Enthusiast Posts: 42 Join Date: 23/09/19 Recent Posts

We use MasterGov. It integrates well with Esri/ArcGIS. The document management is integrated. Has good notification for case officers and workflow (which we haven't implemented yet). Very configurable. Good template system for letters etc. It also has modules for Enforcement, Site Monitoring, Appeals, Land Charges etc  

The Planning Portal import needs improving (cannot import amends), but I understand that is being worked on this year. 

What are you currently using?

Michael Martin, modified 1 Year ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 15 Join Date: 14/11/16 Recent Posts

Hello Hans,

We currently use IDOX (Acolaid, DMS) and GIS.

Chris Dowell, modified 1 Year ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 10 Join Date: 19/10/11 Recent Posts

We have recently implemented iDOX cloud, which has been disapointing compared to the 'vision' we were sold,  although the officers quite like some of the functionality. iDOX really need to do some serious development work before it would be something that we could recommend.

 

Amanda McKenzie, modified 5 Months ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 3 Join Date: 15/08/18 Recent Posts
Chris Dowell:

We have recently implemented iDOX cloud, which has been disapointing compared to the 'vision' we were sold,  although the officers quite like some of the functionality. iDOX really need to do some serious development work before it would be something that we could recommend.

 

Can I ask why you don't recomment IDOX cloud as we are in the process of moving over to this?

 

 

 

 

Chris Dowell, modified 5 Months ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 10 Join Date: 19/10/11 Recent Posts

Hi, 

I think at the time i posted this i had just completed the transition which was difficult and raised some issues with the way the implementation was completed by Idox, so i was probably at a low point when i posted.

Talking to other authorities that are going through the process now, implementation has improved as idox gain experience of the product although they are still have some problems.

There are parts of the product that work well. Officers don't complain about using it too much and it move applications through a defined process in a consistent manner. It is not very flexible and you have to make sure that your process fits the system and you can get lost in work arounds if you try to take a different path. 

There are however some issues that need to be addressed. Issues around reporting, GIS intergration have still to be resolved and templates and communications are difficult to administer. My opinion from working with idox is that progress is slow getting anything resolved and if its 'complicated' it is put off until you stop asking for it (same as other suppliers really). 

That said after 18 months of using the system it hasn't failed or fallen over and its probably as good/poor as anything else on the market. But for all the effort that we invested in getting the system implemented that seems like a very small 'win'.

Hope that helps

Chris

 

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Jonathan Robinson, modified 1 Year ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 4 Join Date: 20/07/17 Recent Posts

Cumbria County, pre-reorganisation, were using the County Module of DEF MasterGov and will be until the Minerals and Waste Planning function has been split into the two successor authorities (Cumberland/Westmorland & Furness). Westmorland & Furness are currently implementing MasterGov too, expected to be live by the Autumn when migration and training are complete. When implementing for Cumbria County, getting the migraition right from our previous supplier (Atrium) was critical and also being prepared to adapt processes to fit the software to avoid bespoke development unless absolutely necessary (i.e. do it like others have been doing it before but with the ability to influence future development/best practice for the benefit of all of their clients). At the County, for the modules where GIS is linked QGIS has been used and seems to be working OK, although it had not been implemented for planning yet. W&F will be using QGIS for planning.

Training and particularly early 'expert' user training (not just for one or two people) is critical to make sure you get the best out of the system, making sure that you take advantage of as much of the workflow and automation as early as possible in my view and is a lesson learnt for me at least as staff changes can quickly dilute the expertise and knowledge of configuration options and possibilities. The 'hive mind' opportunities obviously increase with the number of expert minds and disciplines.

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Tim Burkinshaw, modified 1 Year ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 5 Join Date: 21/10/16 Recent Posts

Hi, 

in North Yorkshire we have just formed a new Unitary from a county and seven districts. The legacy systems are still in place - county system MasterGov, for minerals and waste etc, all the lower tier LPAs on IDOX Uniform I believe.. I don't think any options have been investigated yet re aligning them.

I'm an LPA ecologist not a planner, so not a 'backoffice' user but with the arrival of BNG in November I'm concerned that systems need to handle different document formats and generally act as an audit trail for the 30year BNG obligations. GIS files, biodiversity Metrics on macro enabled spreadsheets, maintenance and monitoring reqmts, habitat plans secured by s106 and conservation covenenants as well as enforcement of the BNG delivery.

Does this make a difference to the choice of system and its functionality?

I beleive two of our districts use Exacom too - for tracking S106 and CIL but I know very little about it. Would be very interested in other's thoughts.

Tim, BNG Officer, North Yorks Council

Hans Bray, modified 1 Year ago.

RE: Planning software systems

Enthusiast Posts: 42 Join Date: 23/09/19 Recent Posts

Hi Tim,

I realise you said the back office is not your area, but do pass onto those that may be thinking about this that Dorset Council went unitary and aligned all their planning systems onto MasterGov over the last couple of years, if they need someone to talk to/pick brains of smiley

MasterGov had their annual User Group meeting last week and demoed the new BNG aspects they are currently building... Basically imports the calculator spreadsheet into the planning record and then, as I understand it, allows it to be tracked in the Site Monitoring module after permission granted. 

BNG is not my area, so I don't know whether it's what is required - I am sending some screenshots to our Ecologist.

Jovo Radusin, modified 1 Year ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Post: 1 Join Date: 14/12/15 Recent Posts

Just to throw in a twist, DEF Software Ltd in partnership with Telford & Wrekin Council are designing and building the next generation of planning and building control software to replace what is mainly dominated by aged legacy products.  It will be a web based solution with an anticipated go live Q4 2024.

David Davies, modified 5 Months ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 8 Join Date: 19/11/18 Recent Posts

Hi all. I have been reading your discussion with interest and I have a related question about software systems for BNG. 

I work for Staffordshire Moorlands DC and High Peak BC and my Councils have been approached by a company called MYCELIA who provide a software package for tracking/monitoring the implementation of BNG within planning applications, for an annual fee. We are considering this software package. Have any other LPAs signed up to the MYCELIA software? If so what have your experiences been using the software? For any LPAs who have not done so, what processes have other Councils put in place to monitor the proper implementation of on-site/off-site BNG habitats by planning applicants? This could be internal systems, tracking spreadsheets, etc

Many thanks,

Dean Brunton, modified 5 Months ago.

RE: Planning software systems

Enthusiast Posts: 45 Join Date: 10/10/13 Recent Posts

Hi, we have had MYCLELIA for a for a couple of months now, our Ecologist is very happy with it - it is certainly making his life a lot easier.  It is also proving good at validation as the software can quickly scan and identify any issues in the BNG metric straight away and suggest valdation sentance to go back on.

michelle hurton, modified 5 Months ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 3 Join Date: 17/09/18 Recent Posts

Hi

We are currently looking to replace our software from Idox Uniform to a web based system, we are in the very early stages therefore this discussion is very helpful to see what others are using and what they think about their systems. 

We (Durham County Council) have started to use MyCelia and whilst I'm not an ecologist it is very helpful for everyone not just the ecologists.  The way we are using it is that the planners upload the documents into the program, which is a simple drag and drop, they upload in seconds and automatically the program tells you if there are any issues with the metric, for example are they using the most up to date version and puts it all in an easy to read format that can be sent back to the developers within the invalid letters. 

The Ecologists are very happy with the system and the support network that you get afterwards appears to be very good to, although we have only had it for about a month but I would expect that would be there throughout its lifefime.

Michelle

 

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Chris Nash, modified 5 Months ago.

RE: Planning software systems

Enthusiast Posts: 41 Join Date: 11/08/13 Recent Posts

We're in a fairly advanced stage of migrating to Arcus Built Environment for DM, Enforcement, Appeals, Building Control and Land Charges. It's a completely cloud based solution built on the Salesforce platform, and totally 'malleable' to suit the workflows, processes and layouts/appearance you desire for your particular LPA. It is an integrated database and DMS solution, integrating through APIs to things like the Portal connector and to GIS (we're also moving from Astun to StatMap corporately, and this isn't posing a concern for the project either).

Michael Lally, modified 5 Months ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 2 Join Date: 09/08/23 Recent Posts

Hi

 

In Liverpool we have Tascomi / Idox Cloud. We would not recommend it.

 

Mike

Gary King, modified 2 Months ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 5 Join Date: 19/08/24 Recent Posts
Hi Mike
Are you able to share any insights as to why you wouldn't recommend Tascomi/Idox Cloud?
We are looking to replace our existing Idox Acolaid platform and am keen to hear about the experiences (both good and bad) that are others have had.
 
Cheers,
Gary
 
--------------
 
Michael Lally:

Hi

In Liverpool we have Tascomi / Idox Cloud. We would not recommend it.

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Lally, modified 1 Month ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 2 Join Date: 09/08/23 Recent Posts

Hi Gary

If you want to drop me an email on mike.lally@liverpool.gov.uk I'd be happy to give you my thoughts

 

Cheers

Mike

Bristol City Council Planning, modified 5 Months ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 6 Join Date: 04/10/21 Recent Posts

I understand DLUHC are developing a Planning software called Back Office Planning System 'BOPS', which looks like the standard govt web based software. It's currently in development with opted-in LAs through Open Digi Planning project. It may be a future alternative but not live yet. I'd be interetsed to hear if anyone has experience with it.

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Jonathan Robinson, modified 5 Months ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 4 Join Date: 20/07/17 Recent Posts

I would be interested to hear about BOPS too. Particularly integration with existing systems.

Manny Singh, modified 1 Month ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 4 Join Date: 18/02/21 Recent Posts

Hi All, 

An old thread but note the comments re IDOX Cloud. Have opinions changed since posting the original comments? I would be interested in hearing your feedback.

Chris Dowell, modified 1 Month ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 10 Join Date: 19/10/11 Recent Posts

We have been running live with the IDOX Cloud for about 18 months now, and I would give it a "glass half full" rating of 5 out of 10.

The product is quite prescriptive in how it must be used, and several of its components are showing their age—particularly the template management, document viewer, and GIS integrations, which are in desperate need of refreshing.

When we were originally looking at options, there wasn’t much on the market apart from Arcus (which we left), and the other alternatives all seemed to offer essentially the same features.

One of the advantages of IDOX Cloud is that its rigid structure forces consistency, which our admin team loves because it prevents officers from developing their own workarounds and processes. However, this rigidity has led to our enforcement team using it purely as a document storage system while ignoring most of its other functions.

Planning officers have mixed feelings. Some of the younger staff appreciate its modern feel and ease of navigation, especially since everything is cloud-based and accessible on the move. However, everyone dislikes the templates, which are difficult to manage and often don't format correctly. The document viewer is also inadequate, forcing us to download files and open them in third-party viewers.

The reporting functionality is very basic, so we have direct access to a copy of the data for generating our own reports. The TPO and S106 modules are, in our opinion, too simplistic and borderline unusable. Additionally, the public website, while available, is difficult to navigate, leading to frequent complaints from users who struggle to find applications or submit comments. Managing the GIS is complex, especially when dealing with multiple products (we use it for planning, land charges, licensing, and building control).

Since going live, we’ve been asking for WFS feeds to and from the system, and while we are finally starting to test some solutions, progress has been painfully slow.

From an administrator's perspective, a positive is that the system has not crashed yet. However, getting issues resolved requires persistence. IDOX is notorious for ignoring issues or pushing them to their so-called “development team,” where they seem to disappear. For a company of their size, their ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously is limited, and delays are common. We are still waiting for upgrades promised over 12 months ago. When changes are made, they often don’t inform us, and we only learn about them when another user happens to notice.

If we were in the market again, I’m not sure IDOX would be our top choice, though I haven’t seen the latest offerings from their competitors.

Anthony Stephenson, modified 29 Days ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Post: 1 Join Date: 22/01/24 Recent Posts

I led a project to review what was available in the market and replace the planning and Buiding control systems in Salford.  We were with Idox but were frustrated with the lack of innovation from them and decided to move to Arcus Global.  We went live last November and are happy with our choice.

It is perhaps a little more challenging to set up because it is highly configurable but that is one of its main advantages too.   Once you get it bedded in you can refine layouts and add automations to processes through 'flows'.  The reporting is also very powerful.  As it's built on Salesforce you have a range of reporting tools (tables, widgets/graphs etc that run in real time - or at least refresh each minute which is almost the same thing).  Arcus seem to cover all of local government functions and not just planning and BC.    

We also use Agile AI validator and Objective Trapeze for working with plans.  We secured DLUHC funding to develop APIs to link the 3 systems so now we have them all working together.  

Michele Sarginson, modified 29 Days ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Posts: 7 Join Date: 20/10/11 Recent Posts

Hi

We're about to upgrade from NEC's M3 Land and Property system to NEC's Assure with DMS.  We have also recently purchased the Land Charges module with connecting API to HMLR to allow us to register land charges directly with HMLR rather than going through their independent Maintain system.  We are about to go live with standard letters which will currently just integrate with the existing M3 system, we have exported our data from our third-party DMS into NEC's DMS but will progress to moving planning, DMS and the public portal in stages.  For us, planning is a core function of what we do (we're a National Park Authority) and therefore we have to make sure that it all works well and that the planning service are on side.  Setting up the standard letters has been quite a lengthy process as the mechanism for creating the templates has changed quite considerably from M3, however, the planning officers and others who use M3 will hopefully not see to much of a change initially.  The 'behind the scenes' work has been handled within our IT team, with support from the planning service and Customer and Democratic Support team on processes - it has been recognised that the new system will require some changes, but it is hoped that there will be plenty of benefits, including providing a portal for the public and agents to set up accounts to process applications and submit comments.  It should also give us better control over retention and publication, and automate this process as much as possible. There has been some delays to going live, technical hitches and such, but generally this has given us time to refine the project and ensure that we can go live with minimal disruption.  

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Greg Driver, modified 7 Days ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Post: 1 Join Date: 16/07/12 Recent Posts

Open Digital Planning has a monthly show and tell session tomorrow (wed 6th Nov) 10-11am with an 'exclusive' demo of the PlanX and BOPS products.  Click the link to join  -  https://lnkd.in/eWjbmTjq

Hannah Smith, modified 11 Hours ago.

RE: Planning software systems

New Member Post: 1 Join Date: 28/10/24 Recent Posts

I am reaching out on behalf of the London Borough of Havering as we embark on a new procurement exercise for our planning, building control, and land charges systems. We are very eager to learn more about what other local authorities are currently using, understand the strengths and weaknesses of different systems, and gather insights on upcoming procurement plans.

Would any of you be interested in sharing details about your current systems, such as features, usability, and support? Specifically, we are eager to know what you like or dislike about your systems, and if there are any plans to procure new ones in the near future. Your experiences and insights are incredibly valuable to us as we navigate this process.

Additionally, if any of you are in a similar position and looking to procure new systems, would you be interested in arranging joint meetings with suppliers for system demonstrations? We believe that a collaborative approach could benefit us all in making more informed decisions. We are also happy to share our experiences and insights in return. Looking forward to your thoughts.

hannah.smith@havering.gov.uk (Business Analyst)