Digital planning pilots are important because planning friction is often a data problem as much as a policy problem. Evidence sits across authorities, consultants, landowners and infrastructure bodies, making negotiation slow.
Tools that align evidence, improve 3D mapping or streamline Section 106 discussions can reduce avoidable delay.
The opportunity is not technology for its own sake. It is better decision-making. When data is clearer, schemes can be assessed earlier and with less duplication.
Local authorities need tools that improve capacity, not systems that create another administrative burden.
The most useful PropTech will be the technology that makes planning legible, collaborative and faster without weakening scrutiny.