PropTech in Action: Real Examples of Boosting Local Authority Housing Delivery

This blog is our summary and key takeaways from  Session 14 from the New Homes in New Ways Summit, hosted by RenKap. Watch the Summit on our YouTube channel.

How is Property Technology transforming ways of working to support housing delivery at scale?

In this session, Bridget Wilkins, Head of Adoption, Engagement and Innovation at MHCLG, Gonzalo Marquesini, Founder of RenKap, Josh Rains, Managing Director of Landmark Geodata, Hugh Gibbs, Co-founder of Searchland and Stephen Workman, Technical Director and Residential Sector National lead for AtkinsRéalis, highlight the momentum building behind the adoption of digital planning tools, including by the public sector.

The PropTech Innovation Fund, launched by the government in 2021, has been instrumental in accelerating the adoption of new digital planning tools. Bridget described how this programme has been successful in bringing together local authorities and entrepreneurs to leverage technology to make housing delivery faster, easier, and more efficient (See their digital planning case studies).

Gonzalo talked about how his site survey marketplace RenKap is doing just this, enabling housing teams to get quotes for, commission and review all their numerous surveys through a single platform. He stressed the importance of early risk identification (e.g., contamination, utilities, planning constraints) to avoid wasted time and costs. He also shared a case study from London Borough of Hackney, where this PropTech solution reduced procurement time from weeks to minutes, saying, "A local authority went from not having surveyors at all to instructing seven different surveys on a single site—within 30 minutes. This used to take weeks."

Similarly, Hugh described how his technology Searchland helps developers and planners aggregate key data including land ownership, planning history, flood risks, proximal amenities and local policies. Initially designed to help developers identifying off-market land opportunities, the technology can also be used by public landowners to find and appraise small development sites within their existing land portfolios, saying: "Some councils don’t even know what land they own. With our platform, they can click a button and instantly see all their land assets—it takes 10 seconds." Hugh also advocates for greater use of available AI-driven site identification tools to provide land-information as inputs for other PropTech tools. These are being designed to work together to create streamlined end-to-end digital solutions.

Josh described how his data aggregation platform Landmark Geodata supports data-driven decision making across distributed project teams. He emphasised how PropTech is providing access to unique data (e.g., historical maps, contamination reports), enabling cross-organisational collaboration and supporting decision-making at scale. "Data allows scale. Accessing a consistent view of planning applications across the country helps spot trends and make informed decisions faster."

Stephen Workman shared his experience of using a range of PropTech tools for feasibility studies and risk assessments, highlighting the value of digital tools in improving planning efficiency, identifying below-ground utilities, specifically using the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR), and reducing costly design changes, "We can now access full site utility information within five days, saving weeks of back-and-forth coordination."

Asked how local authorities can find and procure services from SME PropTech providers the panellists signposted the recently launched Digital Planning Directory (which lists 200+ PropTech solutions) and G-Cloud for procurement.

What did we leave with? This was a great introduction to a small number of specific technologies and also a timely reminder that the recruitment of additional planners, is not the only lever to radically speed up planning processes. As Bridget concluded, "We should be able to do 10 times more with the workforce we have, using AI and digital tools to enhance—not replace—human expertise…PropTech is no longer an option; it’s a necessity."