The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published updated technical guidance for its Digital Planning Programme, explicitly recommending open source technologies for local planning authority back-end infrastructure. The guidance names PostGIS, Django, and GOV.UK Frontend as preferred components for new planning portals built under the programme. Councils participating in the Planning Software Improvement Fund, including Southwark and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, are expected to align new procurements with the recommendations by Q1 2026.

Source: LocalGov.co.uk