The Department of Planning and Environment’s planning portal will eventually be a one-stop shop for development applications and complying development certificate submissions.

The Department of Planning and Environment will open up its online portal for the lodgement of development applications under moves to streamline planning activities.

This one-stop shop program, unveiled by the minister for planning and housing, Anthony Roberts, is designed to save people time and make the entire development application process easier and more efficient.

“This new functionality for online lodgement will improve people’s lives,” minister Roberts said. “We’re getting down to business making it easier for home owners and developers to lodge their applications. This will also benefit people in the bush who live hours away from council offices.”

Among available services on the portal, commonly used planning spatial datasets can be accessed under open access licenses. Additionally, mapping services can be downloaded, using a planning viewer.  
Other services include online lodgements for local councils and planning bodies. This incorporates accessing maps and spatial datasets under the plan-making process. Online development control and contributions plans can also be lodged, once the approvals are finalised.
The state’s ePlanning seeks to improve access to the NSW planning system, making it more transparent and easier to use. This initiative transforms the traditional paper-based and face-to-face interactions to an online environment where people can access planning services from anywhere at any time.

Online reporting tools incorporate accreditation by councils, as well as access to electronic housing codes, interactive building programs, reporting, open data, and the online submission of planning data.