Digital Planning Consultation for Age-friendly Housing: Karbon Homes’ Approach

Context

Our population is ageing, and in many parts of England, there is a pressing shortage of homes designed for older people—homes that prioritise accessibility and provide excellent thermal comfort, particularly during the colder months. With the Trimdon housing development, Karbon Homes aimed to address this need by delivering 43 accessible and energy-efficient bungalows for affordable rent in a rural area with chronic undersupply.

Designed for future adaptability, the development placed a strong emphasis on accessibility, energy performance, and high-quality design. Created by JDDK Architects, the site balances privacy with a sense of community. It includes shared communal gardens for residents of Durham Aged Miners Housing Association (DAMHA) and private gardens for Karbon tenants. Of the 43 bungalows, 20 are managed by Karbon Homes and 23 by DAMHA.

With no in-person meetings scheduled due to resource and timing constraints, the pre-application online planning consultation needed to be as interactive, informative, and transparent as possible.

Consultation Approach

Using PlaceChangers’ interactive engagement platform, the design team enabled residents to explore site plans through an interactive online map and provide location-specific feedback. Residents of Trimdon could engage with the layout in a visually rich and user-friendly manner, replicating many of the advantages of a traditional, in-person consultation.

Nearby neighbours contributed 15 ideas and comments, querying boundary treatments to the north and raising concerns about vehicle speed near the proposed access point.

Commenting on the consultation format, Clair Sanders of JDDK Architects, noted:

When we hold in-person consultations, no matter which diagrams we bring, we find ourselves referring back to the site plan. The interactive map is an obvious way of tying information together, so it is nice that you can replicate the experience of a physical plan in an online public meeting.

The team supported the digital consultation with targeted outreach, including postcards to nearby households, posts in the Trimdon community Facebook group, and email contact with the parish council and a local history group.

Key Outcomes

The interactive map enabled targeted feedback, helping planners address key issues effectively and understand those concerns more efficiently. AI-powered reporting tools streamlined analysis, reducing reporting time. Key concerns, such as road access and traffic impact, were raised with clarity, prompting further review of entry points.

Alex Franklin, Associate Director at Hedley Planning, noted:

We could easily understand what participants meant by combining the online survey aspect and feedback through the proposal map.

Stakeholders, including councillors, found the digital consultation format highly valuable for structured and transparent community input. The local councillor commended the engagement format as transparent and engaging. The consultation revealed strong local support for elderly housing, recognising the demand for accessible homes in that area.

This Trimdon case study illustrates how the PlaceChangers platform enhanced the online planning consultation process through:

• Broader reach and inclusivity
• Real-time, visual, data-driven reporting for the planning team
• Visual clarity of proposals through interactive tools
• Engaging and transparent interactions

Status: Planning approved