Cratus hosts Democratising Planning through Technology roundtable

On 23rd June, Cratus and the Mayor of London’s office hosted a roundtable discussion on improving planning consultations through incorporating interactive, generated models. Our Director of London, Osman Dervish, led the conversation with Peter Kemp from the GLA and Matthew Osment of 3D Repo.

They were joined by officers from Havering, Camden, Islington and Waltham Forest as well as a host of developers and planning professionals. This was a fantastic opportunity to help facilitate views from both private and public sectors on such a topical issue.

One of the issues discussed was how new technology, such as on-demand consultations, offers the chance to break away from formality, with officers also highlighting the need to protect public scrutiny. Equally, developers are keen to utilise a system which can demonstrate what their scheme will really look like and help put into context important elements of the scheme.

Technology can now provide a guided walk through a development’s key aspects. In addition to this, users can also stray from the tour and see the impact on their neighbourhood. All that is required to do this is for the user to have a stable internet connection. 

In addition to these opportunities, by developing a platform that does not require you to be in a certain place at a certain time, it complements the trend of deconstructing rigid timetables. What this means is that inflexibility of time is no longer an issue. Consultees can use the platform and leave their feedback – having as much of an opportunity to be heard as those who sit in on a webinar or have time to respond straight away.

At Cratus, we understand the importance of digital consultation. We have developed a new digital consultation tool, Cratus Engage, which offers an interactive and theme based approach to consultation. To find out more click here.