SUBMITTING a planning application online could save you over £200 – that’s the message from North Lanarkshire Council’s planning service, which have just received their 1000th electronic application.
SUBMITTING a planning application online could save you over £200 – that’s the message from North Lanarkshire Council’s planning service, which have just received their 1000th electronic application.
Designed to make planning applications processed faster, easier and more efficiently, the e-planning system also saves money by reducing the time it takes to complete an application at one end and the time it takes to process it at the other.
E-planning was first introduced by the council in 2009 as part of the Scottish Executive’s drive to modernise the planning service. It is an alternative to the traditional paper and postal service, and has been steadily gaining popularity since its introduction. It accounted for more than 40 per cent of all applications received by NLC last year.
“We’re still happy to accept paper-based applications, but we encourage anyone submitting an application to consider the benefits of the e-planning system,” said Shirley Linton, head of planning and development with North Lanarkshire Council.
“It’s not just applications which can be submitted online – anyone with an interest can now view the plans and submit their comments online, too. It’s making the whole planning process more accessible.”
The 1000th application came from Scottish Water. Their planning adviser, Ellen Coats, says not only is the system easier to use, it also results in the company offering a better service.
“We have fully embraced the introduction of e-planning, and the majority of our planning applications are now submitted this way. The system is fast and reliable and the standard application form helps simplify the process.
“That’s great for Scottish Water, as we deal with sites across the whole of Scotland on a daily basis. The introduction of e-planning has had real benefits for us in terms of accessing information and speeding up the planning process, which ultimately means Scottish Power can deliver projects more efficiently and provide a better service.”