The South Australian government has launched a one-stop planning portal to track the online progress of projects.

South Australia’s planning system is undergoing a facelift with the launch of a portal that enables planners, the industry and citizens to track the progress of projects using mobile apps.

This SA Planning Portal has been flagged as one of biggest overhaul in more than 20 years.

The site retains access to current planning tools, and enables people to track the progress of projects across multiple fronts.

When fully operational, this portal will enable South Australians to access planning information and services 24 hours a day using their computer, phone or tablet.

These citizen engagement reforms also come under the spotlight at the FST Government South Australia conference being held on Thursday 30th March at the Adelaide Hilton.

South Australia’s minister for planning, John Rau, said the new portal is more user-friendly than current arrangements. “We want people to have much easier, clearer and quicker access to the information they need when making decisions such as property purchases and redevelopment.”

The goal is to reduce costs for applicants, councils and ratepayers. The focus is to deliver faster turnarounds and a more informed tracking of decisions.

The portal’s launch has coincided with the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act that took effect last year.

This Act mandated the creation of a portal to provide information in real-time, and help track submissions, approvals or policy announcements.