Enabling virtual public consultations for large-scale infrastructure projects

规划申请，特别是风电场或太阳能开发等大型项目的规划申请，在获得规划许可之前需要征求公众意见。目前的新冠肺炎安全措施使公众集会无法进行，导致咨询和规划过程延迟。如果不进行干预，这将导致可再生能源建设的延迟，并最终削弱英国实现其雄心勃勃的净零碳目标的能力。我们的解决方案将这些公共咨询带入虚拟世界，允许社区成员在舒适的家中检查计划并提出问题。我们打算保留实际咨询的所有好处，从演示材料到与开发人员和独立专家的一对一和小组讨论。在“创新英国”的支持下，我们的项目将有助于确保英国摆脱疫情，完成基础设施规划，签署并准备采取行动。

Planning applications, particularly those for large-scale projects like wind farms or solar power developments, require public consultations before they receive planning consent. Current Covid-19 safety measures make public gatherings impossible, leading to delays in the consultation and planning process. Without intervention, this would lead to delays in renewable energy construction and, ultimately, undermine the UK's ability to hit its ambitious net zero carbon target.Our solution brings these public consultations into the virtual world, allowing community members to examine plans and ask questions from the comfort of their home. We intend to retain all of the benefits of a real-world consultation, from the presentation materials through to the one-on-one and group discussions with the developers and independent experts.With the support of Innovate UK, our project will help to ensure that the UK comes out of this pandemic with infrastructure planning complete, signed off and ready for action.