Development Management
The technical architecture supporting the lifecycle of an individual planning application - from the citizen's initial submission to the council's final legal determination.
Because this service is highly transactional and public-facing, its architecture must be capable of handling high volumes of web traffic, complex spatial rule evaluations, and heavy unstructured document processing. It may represent the bulk of a council's planning technology expenditure.
The LGAM technology stack
Delivering this journey requires orchestrating multiple components across the LGAM taxonomy. An API-first architecture decouples these capabilities rather than purchasing them as a single system. The technology stack to deliver this, when aligned to the Local Government Architecture Model, might include the following elements:
| LGAM Layer | LGAM Element | Context in Planning | Enabling Technology (Example) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | Forms | Dynamic, spatial-aware frontends that use "rules-as-code" to ask contextual questions based on the property's location. | Digital Forms Engine |
| Capabilities | Workflow | The core back-office engine managing statutory timelines, tasks, consultations, and the officer determination process. | Case Management System |
| Data and Information | Document and records management | Secure storage for massive volumes of unstructured data: architectural plans, public comments, and decision notices. | Corporate EDM |
| Corporate Areas | Geographical | The spatial database providing UPRN lookups, mapping polygons, and intersecting proposals with local plan constraints. | Corporate GIS Platform |
| Integration | API Gateway | RESTful endpoints connecting the public submission portal to the back-office, and integrating with statutory consultees. | Enterprise Integration Platform |
| Capabilities | Identity | Federated identity specifically for high-frequency planning agents, allowing them a single sign-on view of all their active applications. | CIAM Service / Federated Identity Provider |
| Capabilities | Payments | Processing complex planning application fees based on development size and type. | Corporate Payment Gateway |