Introduction
The views and feedback from customers is at the heart of what the planning quality
framework is about. To get these views, we’ve created 2 sets of surveys that can be sent
to different customers of the planning service:
1.
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Regular (e.g. weekly) surveys
Applicants (members of the public that have made a planning application)
Agents (a professional person or company making a planning application)
Neighbours (a person/organisation that has commented on an application)
Case review (for the council to assess how well it did)
2. Annual surveys
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Councillors – how does planning affect your role?
Staff – what’s it like to work here?
Amenity Groups – how does planning affect the community?
How it works - The surveys are set up and run through an internet application called
‘Limesurvey’. We’ll create a Limesurvey account for each council. It takes basic customer
details (from an excel spreadsheet you create from your management system), emails
them a survey and records and stores their responses. It also sends reminders and
makes reports.
Create your account and surveys. All you need to do is email @qualityframework.net
and provide the following information:
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name and email address of the main administrator
a j.peg file of your council’s logo on a white background
the email address that you’d like the surveys to be emailed from (this might be a
person or a generic email e.g. planning@council.gov.uk)
Planning Quality Framework Applicant Survey
* The council usually requires you to send in supporting information with the planning
application itself. Did the council use the supporting information well?
Did the additional information the council required with the application make sense and did the council
use the information you provided well?
The council’s decision should be clear and relevant. It should not contain surprises and any conditions
should be reasonable.
Planning Quality Framework Applicant Survey
Planning Quality Framework Agent Survey
Planning Quality Framework Neighbour Survey
Planning Quality Framework Neighbour Survey
Planning Quality Framework Case Review Survey
Example output
This is an example of one of the ways that survey data can be
presented linked to individual applications.
This example is where the applicant and neighbours have
completed the survey and the case has been reviewed internally
by the council.
Application Ref: HA/FUL/4456/14
Helpful
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
Applicant
-1.5
Clarity of decision
-2
Use of time
Neighbour
Review
Council
Use of information
Annual Surveys (Under Development)
Councillors
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How much contact have you had with Planning over the last year ? [lots
> hardly at all]
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Are you part of the part of the administration? [yes, no, it’s complicated]
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Taken overall, I think planning policies and the way they are
implemented are doing a good job balancing the competing needs of
my Ward [yes / no]
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The views of our neighbourhoods, parishes, resident groups are heard
and where possible influence decisions in a positive way [yes / no]
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The Planning Department has a good reputation with me and my
constituents [yes / no]
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Any other comments, suggestions or thoughts? [free text]
Amenity Groups
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What sort of group are you ? (free text)
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How much contact have you had with the planning department in the
last year ? ? [lots > hardly at all]
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What are the things this council gets right ? (free text)
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And what things might they improve ? (free text)
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All things considered, the council is a good partner in the job of
managing development [1-10]
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Any other comments, suggestions or thoughts [free text]
Staff
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How long have you been with the department ?
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The planning service is well regarded and has a clear sense of purpose
[yes / no]
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Over the last year, things have improved [yes / no]
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Does your organisation enable you to do a good job? [yes / no]
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Make one suggestion to make lives easier for everyone [free text]
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All things considered, rate this job [1-10]
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Any other comments, suggestions or thoughts [free text]