West Berkshire Council to receive over a third of a million pounds to improve online planning process

West Berkshire Council will receive over a third of a million pounds from the government to improve its online planning process systems.

The council will be given £353,000 from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to fund work that will make the local planning process easier to understand for applicants, and quicker to administer for the planning service.

The money will be used to implement a new digital system, PlanX, which will help applicants determine if they need planning permission online.

If an applicant finds they do need permission they’ll then be able to apply online using the information they have already submitted, making the application process quicker and easier.

In addition to implementing PlanX for applicants, the work will also integrate it with the systems used by the planning service to process applications, reducing the time needed to carry out these tasks.

Councillor Richard Somner (Con, Tilehurst South and Holybrook) said: “This funding will help us modernise our online and digital systems, which is a big step forward.

“It will make it easier to find out if you need planning permission and submit an application.

“These improvements will help speed up the process for applicants. We will always look for ways to make the planning process simple and as easy as possible in West Berkshire.”

The funding will be received by West Berkshire Council in the coming weeks, and work will begin next month to help build public services for the future.

Upgrades to council systems will take place while existing processes and services are maintained where needed.