| The public now has
greater access to planning applications as Chelmsford Borough Council’s
website allows people to view and track more information online at
www.chelmsford.gov.uk/planning |
| Members of the public can now
access planning applications from a computer anywhere that is convenient, 24
hours a day. Previously, applicants would have had to call in to the Council
offices, only on weekdays, to enquire about the progress of their application,
or to look at plans. |
| Decision notices and officer
reports can also be viewed online, so that any interested person can view a
decision, any conditions attached to that decision and how the decision was
reached. |
| The Council processes around 2,500
planning applications each year - which creates a huge amount of paperwork in
the form of plans, photos and reports. In order to streamline the planning
application process, the Council is making this information accessible online.
The Council has already hosted an event for planning agents to encourage them
to apply electronically and save the cost of printing. |
| The Council uses its document
management system as part of the planning application system to help users find
documents fast. Information on the status of planning applications is also
imported into the system. |
| Cabinet Member for Planning and
Building Control Services, Councillor Neil Gulliver, commented: "Our objectives
are to make all planning documents and the status of planning applications
available to the public online and allow people to comment on applications. The
planning department also benefits as the public are viewing documents online
rather than visiting the offices so the savings in time and cost are
significant.” |
| The next steps for the project are
to add new measurement tools to the system and to tighten integration with the
Planning Portal when volumes of applications passing through it increase. |
| For more information, please visit
Chelmsford Borough Council’s website at
www.chelmsford.gov.uk/planning |
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