Case Study: Watford Borough Council improves local planning engagement with Commonplace PlanApps

Watford Borough Council - Customer Case Study

Watford Borough Council, a local government authority, faced challenges with public engagement in its planning process. Traditional lamppost notices were difficult to understand and ineffective, leading to low participation. This created a high volume of clarifying inquiries that strained the council's resources. To address this, the council partnered with Commonplace to develop a new digital solution using their PlanApps platform.

The solution implemented by Commonplace was a complete overhaul of the public engagement system. They created visually engaging, mobile-optimized lamppost signs with QR codes and a corresponding online portal that was easy to navigate and jargon-free. This resulted in significant public engagement, with 200 visitors to the site within the first 24 hours and 2,802 visitors to date. Commonplace's platform successfully increased understanding and participation, leading Watford Borough Council to secure further funding for continued collaboration.

Watford Borough Council

Peter Taylor

Elected Mayor