An award-winning local news industry initiative has reached the milestone of one million users.

The Public Notice Portal allows people to find data regarding planning, construction, transport links and more for free.

Achieving the one million user milestone on May 31, the portal aims to enhance local media's coverage of public notices in print.

User traffic has steadily increased as individuals look for details about their area.

The platform earned the Digital Initiative of the Year title at the Regional Press Awards and is currently contending for the Best Digital Publishing Innovation award at the AOP Digital Publishing Awards.

It is backed by local publishers in membership of the News Media Association having been developed by the local news media industry – including Reach plc which built the website – with funding from the Google News Initiative.

According to OnePoll research commissioned by the News Media Association, the Public Notice Portal seems to be most popular among younger audiences.

It found the most common group of users were in the 25-34 year-old category, while 10 per cent fall within the 18-24 age bracket, which is above the UK average of seven per cent.

The survey also found local news media in print and digital remains the number one platform used by the public to view public notices, ahead of local authority websites, social media and printed mailouts. 

News Media Association chief executive Owen Meredith said: "Placing public notices in local news media remains the best way to ensure that everyone can access the important information contained within them in a fair and uniform way."

Printed local newspapers remain a vital platform for millions of people to access the notices.

Research from BVA BDRC shows that removing public notices from printed local newspapers would see 10 million people, many of whom are in vulnerable or elderly groups, cut off from viewing the notices.

Mr Meredith added: "The statutory requirement on councils to advertise public notices in printed newspapers ensures that those who are digitally excluded can access the notices.

"Meanwhile, the notices also gain significant reach online through the news websites of local papers and the portal, further strengthening the industry’s offering and public engagement.”

In Wales, where ministers face opposition to plans to remove the statutory requirement on councils to advertise council tax notices in local papers, the level of digital exclusion is higher than in the rest of the UK, with as many as seven per cent of the population, or 170,000 people, not using the internet.