PropTech Innovation Challenge
Unlocking 1.5 Million Homes Through Innovation
Delivered through collaboration between MHCLG’s Digital Planning Programme and Geovation (an Ordnance Survey initiative), the event highlighted the emerging impact of real‑world testing in planning and development contexts, and set the stage for the next phase of insight consolidation and future collaboration to support sector‑wide adoption and scalability.
Driving scalable innovation in housing delivery
The PropTech Innovation Challenge (PIC), a government-backed initiative, was designed to accelerate the delivery of 1.5 million homes in England. The Challenge was rooted in cross-sector collaboration, bringing together startups, local authorities, housing developers, and government bodies to co-create digital tools that address systemic barriers in planning and housing – including access to land data, viability of small sites, and infrastructure certainty. With £1.2 million in funding, the programme’s development phase is complete and the pilots have tested and proven their solutions in live environments across England.
Housing delivery is not held back by one single problem, but many connected uncertainties: ownership, viability, policy and compliance, infrastructure, time, cost, risk – and so on.
The Challenge therefore focused around three problem statements, each one a different pressure point in the housing delivery system:
How might we transform currently siloed and proprietary land ownership data into an open and interoperable resource that accelerates the conversion of potential development sites into tangible housing projects?
METRICS
- An increase in the number of additional houses built.
- A reduction in the time it takes, or cost for a developer to assess land viability.
- A reduction in the time it takes or cost for a developer to identify and contact a landowner to discuss land viability.
- A reduction in the time it takes a developer to purchase the land from a landowner.
- An increase in the number of land ownership insights that help developers and LPAs understand land ownership, its complexity, and opportunities at a local level.
- An increase in the number of small sites that developers are aware of and can bring forward for development.
How might we increase the attractiveness of small sites for SME developers and other new market entrants through streamlining the processes involved in small site development?
METRICS
- An increase in the number of additional houses built.
- An increase in completed schemes.
- An increase in the number of SME developers or new market entrants.
- A reduction in the number of planning refusals.
- A reduction in the time it takes to be granted planning permission.
- An increase in investor confidence in the ability of developments to deliver an ROI.
- An increase in financial investment in small site developments.
How might we de-risk housing projects and unlock a surge in developer activity by giving developers and local planning authorities absolute certainty and radical transparency regarding existing and future infrastructure capacity?
METRICS
- An increase in the number of additional houses built.
- An increase in completed schemes.
- A reduction in the number of planning resubmissions due to infrastructure issues
- An increase in the number of open, actively managed infrastructure datasets that are shared, England-wide, with all LPAs, landowners, and developers.
- An increase in investor confidence in the ability of developments to deliver a return on investment.
Challenge Deep Dive
Read the full research report for more about the key challenges facing housing delivery, stakeholder perspectives, methodology, and metrics for success.
Problem Statement 1: Making land data work for everyone
The challenge
Land ownership information plays a vital role in housing delivery, but it is often fragmented, difficult to access and challenging to interpret. Through this challenge, innovators explored how better use of data could help identify development opportunities faster, improve transparency, and support more informed decisions about land and property.
Emerging impact
- More than 50+ potential surplus sites identified
- Assessment times reduced by up to 90%
- Faster identification of development opportunities
- Improved access to land insights for non-specialists
What innovators explored
1st Planner Ltd.
Optimise is a digital platform that identifies surplus education land for housing; combining estate data, BB103/BB104 assessments and ownership records. Built with Microsoft Fabric, Vercel and Cesium 3D GIS, it ensures DfE Section 77 compliance and generates capital to renew aging school estates.
PARTNERS: Sheffield City Council; City of Wolverhampton Council; Tameside Council; Archdiocese of Birmingham; Archdiocese of Liverpool; Diocese of Shrewsbury; Diverse Academies Trust; Meridian Trust; Respect Collaboration of Schools
Problem Statement 1
Problem Statement 2: Unlocking small sites potential
The challenge
Small sites can play a significant role in meeting housing demand, but planning complexity, upfront costs and development risk often prevent opportunities from progressing. Innovators explored how technology could simplify planning processes, reduce uncertainty and make smaller developments more viable for SME developers and new market entrants.
Emerging impact
- Planning research time reduced by up to 96%
- Costs reduced by up to 80%
- £22,000 pre-planning savings demonstrated
- Up to 4.3 months saved in pre-planning activity
- Greater confidence for SME developers
What innovators explored
LANDCLAN
LANDCLAN is using AI to accelerate 1000 sites through planning in the next 3 years. Contracting with modular housebuilders who employ prisoners and ex-offenders to build new homes.
PARTNERS: Prisoners Building Homes; Microsoft; ESRI
Problem Statement 2
Xylo
Patch uses AI to help local planning authorities deliver pre-application advice to SME developers up to 90% faster. Co-designed by tech startup Xylo and Leeds City Council, it offers higher quality processes with full officer oversight, reducing planning uncertainty and boosting UK housing delivery.
PARTNERS: Leeds City Council
Problem Statement 2
PlanningHub
PlanningHub automates planning research for small sites including social and community-led housing. Our reports cut time by 96% and costs by 80%, unlocking site potential and making planning faster, clearer, and more accessible.
PARTNERS: Aster Group; Youngman Lovell; Cosy Hauz; Tower Hamlets; Test Valley; Community Land Trust Network; Lichfields
Problem Statement 2
Libra
Libra is an AI legal assistant helping the public and SMEs to understand and resolve legal issues, with support from professionals where advice is needed. Geovation is supporting the Libra team to incorporate planning laws and an AI Planning Assistant within Libra.law.
PARTNERS: LDA Design; Blackberry Consulting; Town Legal; Thrings
Problem Statement 2
RenKap
The Small Site Accelerator, by RenKap and Blocktype, unlocks small site development by streamlining due diligence, surveys, and feasibility design—cutting cost, risk, and time to turn raw sites into de-risked, concept-ready projects.
PARTNERS: London Borough of Lewisham; London Borough of Lambeth; Bristol City Council; Wigan Council
Problem Statement 2
RCKa
We’re using innovative AI tools combined with geospatial analysis to identify and evaluate every unrealised small site housing infill opportunity in the country.
PARTNERS: London Borough of Lewisham; London Borough of Ealing; Blocktype
Problem Statement 2
Problem Statement 3: Providing infrastructure certainty
The challenge
Understanding whether existing infrastructure can support new development is critical to housing delivery. This challenge focused on giving planners, developers and infrastructure providers greater visibility of capacity, constraints and future demand, helping reduce risk and support more confident investment decisions.
Emerging impact
- Utility assessments reduced from weeks to days
- Transport assessments reduced from months to minutes
- Better visibility of infrastructure capacity
- Improved evidence for housing decisions
What innovators explored
Alchera Technologies
Alchera AI transforms housing transport assessments from months to minutes using AI-powered analysis. It streamlines processes and improves section 106 assessments for developers and councils, creating shared intelligence that accelerates planning approvals and supports housing delivery targets.
PARTNERS: Milton Keynes City Council
Problem Statement 3
Coplug
A geospatial AI module enabling collaborative, data-driven planning by linking housing growth to infrastructure capacity. Built on a unified data model, it delivers location-based insights to accelerate development and support sustainable growth.
PARTNERS: Greater Norwich Growth Board; Canterbury City Council; Runnymede Borough Council
Problem Statement 3
Advanced Infrastructure Technology Ltd
Advanced Infrastructure builds spatial planning tools for Utilities & Local Authorities to co-create Local Area Energy Plans. Our software tools enable local authorities to undertake complex engineering tasks without external consultancy support, unblocking millions of pounds in low carbon projects.
Problem Statement 3
City Science
Development of a digital infrastructure standard, initial platform build, stakeholder testing, and U-Log 1.0 pilot implementation.
Problem Statement 3
Neuron
Neuron is a digital tool that can quickly assess if existing water, power and sewer infrastructure can support proposed housing developments. By automating building demand calculations and combining them with infrastructure data, the platform can generate clear reports in hours, not months.
Problem Statement 3
Pilot Partners
Guiding the Selection
The judging panel brought together more than 55 experts from MHCLG, Department for Business and Trade, Environment Agency, HM Land Registry, Homes England, 10 Downing Street, local authorities and other institutions to assess submissions against a clear set of criteria: innovation, scalability, feasibility, and potential for impact.
Insights & Articles
PropTech innovation takes on housing delivery challenges
MHCLG Digital
Winners of PropTech Innovation Challenge
Ordnance Survey
Putting innovation at the heart of unlocking small sites
MHCLG Digital
Become part of the Geovation community
The property sector, like all sectors and industries, needs new ideas, practical tools, and ambitious teams willing to work with real users on real barriers.
At its heart, the PropTech Challenge is about open innovation: connecting sectorwide problems with startup solutions, and using location data to create positive impact for people, places, and the economy. Geovation’s role is to help bring that ecosystem together, giving startups access to support, technical expertise, data, and networks that can help ideas move from prototype to impact.
You can also find out more about the Geovation community and accelerator:
- Meet the start-ups
- Learn more about the two-track Accelerator Programme
- Join the community and become an Ecosystem member
In collaboration with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)