Using GIS to streamline the Call for Sites process
Join our upcoming webinar, Using GIS to Streamline the Call for Sites Process, and learn how a GIS‑led approach can help planning teams work more efficiently, make better‑informed decisions and build confidence in their data.
Local Planning Authorities are under increasing pressure to progress Local Plans at pace, while managing complex site data, limited resources and growing expectations around transparency. Getting the Call for Sites process right is a critical first step — but for many planning teams, manual and fragmented ways of working are making that harder than it needs to be.
Our upcoming webinar, Using GIS to Streamline the Call for Sites Process taking place on Wednesday 13 May at 10am BST, is designed to show how a GIS‑led approach can help planning teams work more efficiently, make better‑informed decisions and build confidence in their data.
This practical session focuses on the real challenges planning policy teams face and how GIS can support the end‑to‑end Call for Sites lifecycle — from site submission through to assessment and publication.
By attending, you’ll learn how to:
- Improve the quality and consistency of site submissions
See how map‑based, structured submissions reduce errors, ambiguity and follow‑up work for officers. - Reduce time spent on administration and assessment
Understand how GIS brings site data and constraints together, enabling faster, more consistent assessments. - Increase transparency and confidence in decision‑making
Explore how clearly published, spatial data can improve understanding for members, agents and the public. - Move away from spreadsheets and disconnected systems
Discover how a single GIS platform supports better visibility, collaboration and control throughout the process.
Whether you’re preparing a new Local Plan or reviewing how your current Call for Sites process operates, the session will provide practical insight you can apply immediately.
Hear real‑world experience from East Herts Council
A key part of the webinar is hearing directly from Richard Crutchley, Team Leader for Planning Policy at East Herts Council.
Richard has worked in town planning since 1994 across the public, private and charitable sectors, with experience at organisations including the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, and local planning authorities in Lancashire, Wiltshire, Hertfordshire and London.
During the session, Richard will share:
- The workflow East Herts Council has adopted
- The benefits achieved through a GIS‑led Call for Sites approach
- Practical lessons learned along the way
This real‑world perspective will help you understand what implementation looks like in practice and what outcomes you can realistically expect.
See GIS in action
The webinar will also include a demonstration of the NEC Geospatial Solutions Call for Sites application, showing how GIS can help local authorities transition away from manual processes towards a more efficient, data‑driven approach.
You’ll see how Call for Sites data can be:
- Captured consistently
- Assessed more efficiently
- Published clearly and confidently
If you’re looking to streamline your Call for Sites process, improve data quality and support more robust planning decisions, this session will provide clear, practical value.
