- Kable, Monday 6 July 2009 12.30 BST
Communities and Local Government (CLG) said that planning departments have taken delivery this month of the toolkit to support their use of the portal.
The guide provides advice on how they can reduce the time staff spend on general planning enquiries by setting up click through links on the Planning Portal website. CLG said this will help them to save time and costs by helping website users educate themselves on relevant aspects of the planning process.
It also expects the move to prompt an increase in website traffic.
Chris Kendall, director of the Planning Portal said: "The guide has been introduced to help outline the main benefits that can be achieved by simply implementing effective linking practices between LPAs and the Planning Portal. Many local planning authorities are already reaping these benefits and are providing a higher quality of service, saving money, time and effort as a result."
