Clusters of spindly antennae poke up from rooftops and strange boxy frames project from walls. In the distance, a line of balloons hangs improbably in the air, describing a perfect square. This surreal panorama of rods and wires, which form the ghostly apparition of an alternative skyline, is a common sight in any Swiss city, where planning policy requires the erection of the profile of a building before it is granted permission to be built. And such ghost buildings may soon be coming to a street near you, if Oxford city councillor James Fry has his way.

"Our current planning system makes it very difficult for the public to actually see what is going to be built," says Fry, who represents the city's North ward. "You've got to navigate the website, track down the application and find the architects' drawings, which can often be hard to understand in context."

The difficulty of understanding architects' drawings, even for council planning officers, was all too evident in Oxford last year, when the disastrous Castle Mill student housing scheme was erected next to Port Meadow, plonking five-storey blocks right on the edge of the ancient protected landscape, blocking long-cherished views of the city's dreaming spires. An independent review criticised the council for inadequate consultation and said that the assessment of the visual impact of developments should be improved.

Outline of a proposed balcony on a house in Basel, Switzerland. Photograph: Bauprofil

"There was a complete failure to understand the impact of what was intended," says Fry. "The horse might have bolted on that one, but introducing the Swiss system of building profiles could prevent future mistakes. When a frame is built in situ, you can see the precise location and scale of the proposal, and it's around long enough for people to think 'Gosh, there's actually something going on here.'"

Constructed from metal rods or wooden poles, fixed in place by wire guy ropes, the Swiss baugespanne or bauprofile are usually erected for a month, outlining the full height of the proposed development, with protruding markers to indicate the angle of the roof and direction of the walls. For taller buildings, tethered balloons can be used, and helicopters have even been employed to hover at a specified height for the tallest towers. Underground structures are not let off the hook either, usually having to be marked with wooden stakes at their corners.

Baugespann for a tower in Zurich. Photograph: Baugespanne.ch

The initiative will be trialled in the UK for the first time in Oxford next week, on a car park site in the north of the city, where the council is planning to build 17 units of affordable housing in three-storey blocks. Eight telescopic metal poles will be put in place at Elsfield Hall and public comments will be recorded to feed into the planning decision.

Elsewhere in Europe, augmented reality software is being tested to give the public a better idea of proposed developments, with a smartphone app developed in Finland that allows people to superimpose models of new buildings on to their sites and walk around them in real time. Such apps can also provide the means to send feedback directly.

"Whether it's house extensions or tower blocks, many residents are shocked when they see the actual scale of developments that have been approved on the basis of drawings," says Fry. "Anything that makes it easier to understand the reality of the proposal should only be encouraged."

• UPDATE: The UK's first baugespann pilot will be erected on Friday 7 February 2014 at the Ellsfield Hall car park site in Oxford, from 10am until 4pm. More information here.