FROM July 1, Richmond Valley Council will be accepting and processing all development-related applications and certificates via a new ePlanning portal.
The platform was developed by the State Government, and all NSW councils are required to be using the NSW Planning Portal to lodge development applications and complying development certificates by 1 July, in line with a 2019 mandate by the Premier.
The aim of the portal is to streamline planning processes and provide more equitable access to information for Council’s customers, as well as better overall transparency of the planning process.
Acting General Manager Angela Jones said the portal would allow for Council’s lodgement processes to be completely digitalised, which would improve application processing times.
Ms Jones said the days of needing to fill in piles of paperwork and visiting a Council building would soon be a thing of the past.
She said the move to a digital service was about Council wanting to make life easier for its community and its customers.
“To improve customer experience, we are moving our planning process online to help cut the delays and red tape which can, at times, frustrate homeowners, builders and developers,” Ms Jones said.
“The ePlanning portal will transform what is a manual, paper-based system into a digital service which will enable all parties to work together in a secure transparent online environment.
“Stakeholders will be able to track the status of their application in real time resulting in better transparency and accessibility to information.
“We are confident the benefits of this transformation will make planning easier, more accessible and reduce assessment times for applicants.”
For more details, or for any assistance requests, please contact our Customer Experience team on 6660 0300.