Walkthrough Complete - Back Office Planning System (BOPS)
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You've just experienced the Back Office Planning System (BOPS) — the same system used by councils like Lambeth, Southwark, and Buckinghamshire to process real planning applications. In 15 minutes, you've seen what would take weeks of procurement and vendor demos.
What you've learned
🏗 Structured workflow
BOPS enforces a consistent validation, consultation, assessment, and determination workflow. Every application follows the same process, reducing errors and ensuring nothing is missed.
Value: Consistent quality across thousands of applications per year
📊 Dashboard-driven management
Case officers see their assigned workload with days-to-determination deadlines. Team leaders can monitor all cases and identify bottlenecks before statutory deadlines are missed.
Value: Real-time visibility into team workload and statutory compliance
🌐 Public transparency
The applicants portal gives residents real-time visibility into planning applications affecting their area. Map views, consultation dates, and application tracking reduce phone calls and FOI requests.
Value: Fewer enquiries, better public engagement, statutory consultation compliance
🔧 Open source platform
BOPS is developed by the Open Digital Planning programme and freely available. No licence fees, no vendor lock-in. Multiple councils contribute to and benefit from shared development.
Value: Zero licence costs, community-driven development, shared innovation
Production readiness
This demo runs the same codebase used in production by multiple UK councils. For a full deployment, you'd additionally want:
| Feature | Demo status | Production requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domain | CloudFront URL | planning.yourcouncil.gov.uk |
| GOV.UK Notify | Disabled (demo) | Email notifications, 2FA codes |
| OS Maps | Optional API key | Full OS Vector Tiles integration |
| Data migration | 35 sample applications | Import from existing planning system |
| Backup | Aurora automated (24hr sandbox) | Point-in-time recovery, cross-region |
| Integrations | Standalone | PlanX submission, GIS, document management |
Good news: The core platform you've just tested is production-ready. The checklist items are about integrating it into your council's existing infrastructure and data, not rebuilding the system.
Learn more about BOPS
- Back Office Planning System (BOPS) — full details on the Open Digital Planning website
- Open Digital Planning — the programme behind BOPS, PlanX, and other digital planning tools
Questions or feedback?
We'd love to hear about your experience with this walkthrough: