Alpha phase: Improving pre-application planning services in Wales

The pre-application service plays a crucial role in Wales' planning system, benefiting both citizens and planning authorities. When used effectively, it provides valuable early feedback that helps ensure applications comply with planning policies before formal submission. 

However, our research found that 60% of planning applications are rejected due to incomplete information- a problem that could be significantly reduced through effective pre-application engagement. 

Our research revealed several key challenges: 

• Low awareness: Many householders don't know that pre-application advice is available
• Poor accessibility: When people do find the service, information is difficult to locate and understand
• Confusing guidance: The existing service lacks clear direction for non-experts
• Disjointed user journey: The process often feels fragmented and inconsistent
• Communication barriers: Contacting planning staff for help is challenging, forcing many to rely on expensive external experts 

Planning staff also face significant challenges: 

• High administrative burden with numerous manual, repetitive tasks
• Missed opportunities to automate simple processes
• Limited resources to handle growing workloads 

Using these insights and working with Cardiff, Gwynedd and the Vale of Glamorgan Councils, we developed and tested a bilingual prototype for a pre-application digital service.  

To support implementation, we've also developed practical resources including: 

• Detailed user personas: Understanding the diverse needs of planning service users
• Service blueprints: Comprehensive maps of improved user journeys
• Bilingual content templates: Ready-to-use content that's clear and accessible
• Implementation guidance: Practical advice for adopting these improvements 

These resources will help planning authorities create more efficient pre-application services that better meet citizens' needs while reducing administrative burden on planning teams. 

Our report summarises the work carried out during this phase, specifically on improving the pre-application advice service in partnership with Welsh Government and 3 local planning authorities.

Our report includes our findings, recommendations and next steps.  

All the tools and templates we've developed are available for planning authorities across Wales to use and adapt.

Browse resources:

Planning pre-application service 'As-is' blueprint: The householder’s steps in the journey aligned with the internal processes to show pain points and areas for innovation

Planning pre-application service 'To-be' blueprint: Proposed innovations for both the house holder’s journey and the internal service operators.

Prototype

User needs: something that a user of your service or website will need to find or do

Bilingual content - webpages

Bilingual content - forms

Bilingual content - e-mail

Site map: This site map shows the order of content for users applying for householder planning permission

Navigation summary example: to help users know where the link will take them.

Email us if you have a query or would like to get involved: planningservices@digitalpublicservices.gov.wales