Archived April 2016. This page will no longer be updated.
Stephen Alexander shares how Wolverhampton devised a new way of working which is delighting applicants and investors, and is creating jobs and making Wolverhampton a better city.
Wolverhampton were the winners of the RTPI West Midlands Local Planning Authority of the Year and are entering the 2014 national RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence. Why? Because they have happy customers and approve good development quickly. Most of their planning applications are approved within 30 days. They work with their customers to understand their individual needs and help them to get an approval.
How did they make their processes three times faster (even though they were already "top quartile")? They stopped using the one size fits all arbitrary 8 and 13 week targets as a performance tool. These 'wrong measures' were driving the wrong behaviours and having unintended consequences. Instead their Planners put customers first and work to their purpose of enabling good development in the public interest.
This way of working is delighting applicants and investors, is creating jobs and making Wolverhampton a better city.
For further information, view the following documents:
If you would like to know more about this, then contact:
Stephen Alexander
Head Of Planning, Education & Enterprise
Wolverhampton City Council
Email: [email protected]