A landmark MoU on digital planning collaborations was signed on 21st May 2024 between Joanna Key, Director General for Regeneration, Housing, and Planning at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and Dr Wei Yang, Cofounder and CEO of the Digital Task Force for Planning at UKREiiF. 

This is the first time an agreement has been put in place with central government in this way to further digital planning and PropTech outcomes.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said:

“This partnership paves the way for a new age of planning, speeding up decision making while giving communities more of a say on the housing and infrastructure in their area.

“We are already using PropTech to accelerate the planning system, helping identify new sites for homes whilst protecting biodiversity. This new technology is helping our Long-Term Plan for Housing to go even further to build the right homes in the right places.”

CEO of the Digital Task Force for Planning, Dr Wei Yang said:

“We are delighted to have signed the MOU with DLUHC, representing a significant step forward in our efforts to reinvigorate spatial planning as a positive force in addressing the multifaceted challenges we face through a holistic approach.

“This MoU will enable collaboration across our respective digital planning programmes and draw links to digital planning’s macro-economic and environmental impacts, as well as fostering future means of collaboration with local authorities and other organisations.

“I believe the MoU will help the Task Force achieve our mission of building a Digital ‘National Trust’ for the long-term benefit of our future generations by promoting valuable knowledge sharing as assets for the public good.”