ConsultOnline blog
Ideas for better planning consultation
Insights on public consultation, community engagement, and planning communications.
Protecting consultation integrity: how we prevent spam and fake responses
A consultation is only as credible as the responses it collects. Here is how ConsultOnline 2.0 uses layered verification, anti-bot protection, and flexible access controls to ensure that the feedback developers and councils rely on is genuine.
Virtual public exhibitions for planning: how to replace the village hall
Public exhibitions are a staple of planning consultation, but they are expensive, time-limited, and exclude anyone who cannot attend. Virtual exhibitions offer a better alternative \u2014 here is how they work and why they produce better engagement.
Real-time analytics: knowing whether your consultation is actually working
Most consultation teams only discover how well their consultation performed after it closes. ConsultOnline's real-time dashboards change that \u2014 giving you the insight to adjust your approach while there is still time to make a difference.
Online public consultation: a complete guide for UK planning teams
A practical guide to running online public consultations for planning applications in the UK \u2014 covering platform options, engagement strategies, legal considerations, and how to produce consultation evidence that planning authorities take seriously.
How we built interactive maps for planning consultations
Interactive maps are one of ConsultOnline's most requested features. Here is a look at the technical decisions behind our pin-drop feedback system and how we made complex planning proposals easier for communities to understand.
What makes a strong Statement of Community Involvement? A practical guide
A Statement of Community Involvement can make or break a planning application. Here is what planning authorities are looking for, common mistakes that weaken your SCI, and how digital consultation tools can help you produce stronger evidence of genuine engagement.
Building accessible consultation tools: more than just compliance
Accessibility in public consultation is not just about meeting WCAG standards — it is about ensuring that the people most affected by planning decisions are not excluded from having their say. Here is how we approach it in ConsultOnline 2.0.
Introducing ConsultOnline 2.0: why we rebuilt our consultation platform from scratch
After more than a decade of the original ConsultOnline, we made the decision to start again from the ground up. Here is why we rebuilt the platform, what is new in 2.0, and how it changes what is possible for planning consultation.