A programme of digital improvements is being delivered to transform the way people can get involved with planning applications in Watford.

For decades residents have been notified of proposals in the town through a planning notice attached to lamp post, an advert or a letter from Watford Borough Council.

Whilst this will still continue, the process is also becoming more digitalised after the council secured funding from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’.

Improvements include allowing people to sign up for planning alerts and viewing applications on a map instead of having to search for them by address/reference number.

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Residents can also access information on specific applications with a QR code and view major projects on Commonplace, a new user-friendly platform.

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A pilot for Commonplace is running until April 2022 and feedback will be provided back to the Government to support the aim of local authorities being able to adopt similar digital tools in the future.

Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor said: “The Planning for the Future White Paper sets out a vision to increase the use of digital engagement within the planning process, and to make the planning system more accountable and democratic by offering alternative routes to engage, alongside traditional forms of engagement.

"These council-led projects will enable us to better understand the barriers to overcome.”