Online planning platform takes customer service to the next level

The new online planning platform will play a valuable role in the Scenic Rim's growth

Navigating the planning scheme will become even easier when Scenic Rim Regional Council's new online planning platform goes live this week.

At its Ordinary Meeting today, Council gave the green light to the 24 February launch of the Scenic Rim Planning Scheme 2020 ePlan, which combines mapping and planning scheme documents in a single, user-friendly interactive platform that will raise service delivery to the community to a new level.

Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen said the ePlan was a new initiative supported by $70,000 in Council’s 2022-2023 budget and Operational Plan and represented a significant business improvement that would deliver cost savings for Council and the community.

“Through Council’s website, the new platform will provide improved access to the Planning Scheme and a self-service system enabling customers to choose how and when they interact with Council,” he said.

“This means they will have planning information at their fingertips whenever it is needed and not only during Council’s business hours.

“Growing interest in building and development in the Scenic Rim has been reflected in the marked increase in the number of planning enquiries received by Council – more than 1,000 telephone enquiries and several hundred emails since July 2022 – many of which could have been answered simply through access to an ePlan.”

Although the Scenic Rim Planning Scheme 2020 has been available on Council's website as a series of un-linked PDF documents supported by interactive mapping, the new user-friendly ePlan will combine mapping and planning scheme documents in a single platform which includes a property enquiry function and the ability to extract information to support development applications.

A key feature of the ePlan is its ability to create a Property Report which outlines zoning and overlay information relevant only to a property searched for on the platform.

Pre-formatted Code templates, which can also be downloaded, will also assist customers in preparing development applications in their own time.

"This improved access to information will help to streamline the development application process, for both Council and our customers, and enhance service delivery in line with current community and industry expectations,” Mayor Christensen said.

The ePlan platform is both PC and mobile friendly will be subject to an annual audit to ensure it continues to meet web accessibility standards.

Members of Council’s Strategic Planning Team will be available to assist customers in navigating the new tool via phone, in person at the Beaudesert Administration Centre or through appointments at other Customer Service locations.

They will also provide ePlan demonstrations at Council’s scheduled Cuppa in the Communi-tea information sessions across the region until the end of June 2023.

"The ePlan’s launch is another significant milestone in our region's journey as the Scenic Rim continues to power ahead, with the development of additional dwellings and essential infrastructure needed to meet its projected population growth between now and 2041, as identified in the recently released Scenic Rim Growth Management Strategy,” Mayor Christensen said.