DEVELOPMENT and building applications to the Launceston City Council can now be lodged, viewed and tracked online. Council development services director Michael Stretton said the new technology brought greater access and transparency to the process. ``Like many councils, Launceston had a paper-based and labour-intensive process in our building, plumbing and planning areas,'' he said. ``There were limited opportunities for the community to interact with those processes in an online environment. ``We realised there was a need to move to a more digitally-based process which is more efficient, effective and accessible to the community.'' The service also includes video conferencing capability and access to high-definition images and maps of the city. The initiative, named eServices, was made possible through a $385,000 federal grant awarded last year. Mr Stretton said the development community had so far responded well to the eServices system, which has been trialled since December. ``Since that time 35 per cent of development applications and some 27 per cent of building applications have been submitted online,'' he said. The system is now available for the wider community to use.
DEVELOPMENT and building applications to the Launceston City Council can now be lodged, viewed and tracked online.
Council development services director Michael Stretton said the new technology brought greater access and transparency to the process.
``Like many councils, Launceston had a paper-based and labour-intensive process in our building, plumbing and planning areas,'' he said. ``There were limited opportunities for the community to interact with those processes in an online environment.
``We realised there was a need to move to a more digitally-based process which is more efficient, effective and accessible to the community.''
The service also includes video conferencing capability and access to high-definition images and maps of the city.
The initiative, named eServices, was made possible through a $385,000 federal grant awarded last year.
Mr Stretton said the development community had so far responded well to the eServices system, which has been trialled since December.
``Since that time 35 per cent of development applications and some 27 per cent of building applications have been submitted online,'' he said. The system is now available for the wider community to use.
Launceston City Council IT infrastructure manager Matt Gray and Mayor Albert van Zetten look over the new software. Picture: SCOTT GELSTON
