As we start to wrap up 2024, the LandTech team have been reflecting on the year we’ve had. Like always, our focus has been on building, innovating and - most importantly - helping property pros to be successful.
From smarter ways to source sites to navigating complex government plans, we’ve put a lot of energy into delivering features that will benefit you. So, to celebrate the end of another year we decided to ask the LandTech team a very difficult question: of all the features we’ve built this year, what’s your favourite?
After a lot of “We love them all the same!” and some “You can’t force us to choose!” we eventually got to the truth (we pride ourselves on accuracy, after all) and now, we’re going to spill the team secrets and share those favourites with you.
Presenting...
The LandTech Team favourite features of 2024!
5. AI Planning History Summary
Coming in at number 5 is the AI planning History Summary.
Ever feel like you're being buried under years of planning history, with no end in sight? Navigating a site's planning past is a time-consuming and time-sensitive task, and those two things don't exactly go hand in hand. That's why we launched the AI Planning History Summary. By leveraging the latest in generative AI, this feature gives you a clear and structured summary of the planning history of any site, in seconds.
How you can use it
- Generate an accurate, to-the-point summary of the planning history associated with any site, and easily share the findings with key stakeholders
- Save time trawling through irrelevant applications and focus only on what you need to know, so you can quickly identify any potential issues or restrictions
So, what makes the AI Planning History Summary a favourite? CEO, Jonny Britton explains why:
"The value of our platform is evolving. It used to be our job to provide the data you need in the most simple, fast and high quality way. But with Large Language Models (LLMs) entering the room and offering us new powers, we get to go a step further.
The AI Planning History Summary is a perfect example of this: we're not just giving you the information you need, we're make it useful. It's analysed for relevance, summarised and presented to you in a digestible format. This tool alone will save you vast amounts of time, and our method ensures it's equally reliable and trustworthy.
This feature is just one small step towards the future for us and that's why it's a team favourite."
4. Hometrack
At a solid number 4, it's Hometrack.
The rapidly shifting landscape of the housing market presents huge opportunities for developers, but that's also what makes it so challenging. It can feel a little sink-or-swim out there sometimes, and out of date data won't help keep you afloat. That's where our partnership with Hometrack comes in. With rich property information, residential data and sales valuation estimates, you'll have the most up-to-date comps on the market, at your fingertips.
All LandInsight Unlimited customers get sale and asking prices, energy ratings and key property attributes supplied by Hometrack, and you can unlock access to even more advanced data in an instant.
How you can use it
- Get the most accurate representation of primary market comparables through mortgage survey valuations
- Make confident, informed decisions thanks to in-depth data like achieved and asking price, date sold, monthly rental asking prices and number of bedrooms
Product Manager, Aaron Factor tells us why Hometrack is a team favourite for 2024:
"Hometrack has enabled us to deliver precise, up-to-date property data that empowers users to confidently assess risks and opportunities. Seamlessly embedding this into LandInsight's Comparables offering not only saves our customers valuable time but also enhances the accuracy of their decisions.
It's my favourite feature of the year, especially now that we've made this invaluable data accessible to all our Unlimited customers."
3. Grey Belt & Declassified Green Belt
We promised we wouldn't do any joint positions and we'll stick to that, but it wasn't easy. In 3rd place: the Grey Belt & Declassified Green Belt layer.
We won't beat around the bush: this is the most effective feature on the market for finding potential Grey Belt opportunities. In building it we consulted with major planning authorities and industry experts, including specialists from leading Green Belt consultancies and the Greater London Assembly, but we didn't stop there.
We added a bespoke ranking system, excluded ineligible land and for each land parcel, we've taken into account connectivity, sustainability and land use, giving you a clear picture of each site's potential for development. Oh, and if that wasn't enough - it's also ridiculously easy to use.
How you can use it
- Get a comprehensive and detailed view of the location of potential Grey Belt land, so you can quickly identify and evaluate sites that may be suitable for development according to NPPF policy
- If you're not first then you're last, so stay ahead of competitors by identifying probable sites before official government guidance is released
We think it's pretty obvious why the Grey Belt & Declassified Green Belt layer is a firm favourite for 2024, but here's Customer Success Manager, Nayab Cheema to tell us why anyway:
"The introduction of our exclusive Grey Belt dataset into LandInsight has been a huge value-add for our customers. It's allowed them to get early insight into the likely location of grey belt land and secure an advantage over their competitors.
Not only that, the level of analysis that the team has done to get this data into LandInsight is seriously impressive."
2. Demographics
There's simply too much at stake for you to be guessing whether or not your project plans will align with community needs, and now you don't have to. In 2nd place, it's Demographics, and we're not surprised.
With our Demographics layer you'll get a complete understanding of the area surrounding your development, and that means you'll know whether or not your development is right for that location. No more guesses, no more assumptions, just plain old facts helping you make informed decisions that lead to one thing: success.
How you can use it
- Take advantage of data attributes like household income levels, employment and affordability to find prime spots for your project plans, from affordable homes to premium developments
- Utilise information like age and population growth to find spots with a growing long-term demand for developments like residential care homes
Demographics took the silver medal this year and Customer Success Manager, Alex Steele tells us why:
"The Demographics layer has hands-down been my favourite release of 2024 - vital data such as: income, affordability, age and much more provided in this set is essential for developers to make swift, well-informed decisions about their target areas, backed by accurate and actionable data.
This map overlays segmenting various Output Areas and displaying the information in an easily understandable heat map, alongside the clear visual graphs breaking down each dataset, make complex demographic insights incredibly simple to digest and access in seconds.
Don't just take my word for it; the overwhelmingly positive feedback across our varied customer base speaks volumes about its success - it's not just useful, it's essential for modern property development!"
1. Site Sourcing Tool
Here it is, in the coveted first place position and taking home the gold: our Site Sourcing Tool, and let's be honest - it makes sense. If you're looking for the site equivalent of a pot of gold, it's this tool that'll find it for you.
With this feature we've taken the stress out of site sourcing. Using a whole range of filters (like parcel size, planning status and so much more), you can narrow your search to match your specific sourcing strategy and generate a list of viable opportunities in just a few clicks.
Plus, with saved search functionality as well as dynamic map search and the ability to export your results in an instant, the Site Sourcing Tool is - without a doubt - a complete game changer.
How you can use it
- Find parcels of land that meet your unique requirements, whether its proximity to greenbelt sites or sites with planning permission already granted
- If you have a wider area of focus, for example: nationally or across multiple Local Authorities, then you can reduce the noise associated with broader site sourcing and zero in on sites that meet your exact needs
Everyone's a winner here, but there's no question that our Site Sourcing Tool stole the show for the LandTech team this year.
Senior Customer Success Manager, Sam Roffo tells us what makes this the ultimate feature of 2024:
"The site sourcing tool has transformed the efficiency and accuracy with which developers can find opportunities for development.
For example, Power Developers would have previously had to manually assess how each constraint affects the development viability of a site, before understanding whether it's even a worthwhile opportunity. That could only be done with a handful of sites at a time too - cumbersome and not always fruitful!
With the site sourcing tool, our customers can filter out (or in) all the criteria they are looking for in a site, across an area of their choosing, so that the results are solely viable opportunities. Essentially, all the sites in their chosen area are reviewed and filtered by the tool and only the best are left."
Ready to put our favourites to the test?
There you have it, the LandTech Team favourite features of 2024 - each of them built with you in mind, and now there's only one thing left to do: try them out for yourself.
If you're ready to be more successful (in less time) then click the button below to request a demo.
