E-Planning in NSW: Environmental Regulation, Advantages & Issues

This essay explores the implementation of e-planning in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, as a strategy to enhance economic growth, attract investment, and improve public service delivery. It defines e-planning, discusses its drivers such as housing affordability, financial sustainability, customer demand, and information democracy, and provides examples of its use in NSW, including application tracking, interactive buildings, electronic housing codes, and planning viewers. The essay also examines the benefits of e-planning, such as increased transparency, cost and time savings, and promotion of online usage, as well as its pitfalls, including legislative and budgetary hindrances, technological challenges, the digital divide, and resistance to change. It concludes by weighing the benefits against the pitfalls, highlighting the importance of addressing challenges to fully realize the potential of e-planning in NSW.

Running head: Planning 1
Planning and Environmental Regulation
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Introduction
There has been progress in planning reforms in NSW Australia as a strategy to fast track
economic growth, attract investment and effectiveness in delivering public services. The NSW
government has implemented e-planning in different platforms such as electronic housing codes
system, online tracking of development processes, and an online mapping application that creates
awareness on the rules and regulations relevant to specific land parcels among others. This essay
aims at exploring e-planning in the context of its broad definition, the examples of the use of e-
planning in NSW, the advantages of eplanning and the possible pitfalls. Individual opinion of the
writer on whether the benefits outweigh the pitfall is also provided.
Definition of e-planning
Electronic planning (e planning) comprises of business process models, methodologies,
specifications, systems, services and technologies which support the planning industry in
Australia in delivering efficiencies to its stakeholders (Development Assessment Forum, 2011).
The development of a national e planning roadmap is driven by different sectors of the
Australian business industry. It is significant to understand the present issues and drivers of e
planning which also improves the effectiveness of its vision and roadmap. Some of these broad
pressures of e planning in New South Wales include affordability of housing, financial
sustainability, bandwidth and mobility, customer demand and sophistication, foundational work,
evidence-based decision making, and information democracy.
Housing policy is still a significant issue for policy maker in New South Wales (NSW), in
addition to the thorough analysis of the function of the planning system in relation to the cost of
housing. The Australian planning system is perceived to be inefficient and not modernized in
some of its states, in which the planning system is much more dependent on paper-based systems

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and it is because of this that there is more focus on the development evaluation and not on
strategic planning and planning reform. Another pressure for e-planning is financial
sustainability (Estevez & Janowski, 2013). Limitations in resources in all government
departments is an indication of the pressure to make services more affordable and worthwhile to
its people. An intricate planning system is usually costly to manage and an impediment to
productivity. Australia operates in a globally competitive environment and there is constant
pressure for integrating planning systems in business operations and on authorities to foster
economic recovery by highly attracting investment and workers (Piracha, 2015).
The use of e planning has also been orchestrated by increasing customer demands and
sophistication when demanding government services (Bilgihan, 2016; Aliyu & Tasmin, 2012).
This has also been influenced by more economical computing and internet access which
increases the demand for access to information that encourages planning and development
activities. This has forced the government to integrate e planning to all its major departments.
Evidence-based decision making it critical in government projects and service delivery.
However, it is usually hard to access information from the processes of planning and
development as evidence for undertaking specific development projects and for decision making.
Accessibility to an integrated e planning service will provide an in-depth evidence foundation
that will minimize the need for manual processes and costly surveys and documentation (Yavuz
& Welch, 2014).
Bandwidth and mobility have also piled much pressure on the Australian government to integrate
e planning. Bandwidth is faster, affordable and mobile and this is the reason why information is
being disseminated in a more creative and rich way than ever (Poushter, 2016). For the
government to communicate effectively and serve the community much better, it must also be

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innovative. Furthermore, the use of mobile devices is likely to continue to increase and therefore
there is a need for the government to provide its services through these devices. Another factor
that has influenced the Australian government to adopt e planning is information democracy.
With the advancement in technology, data is becoming increasingly open and accessible, and
information consumers are always becoming innovative in the interpretation and exchange of
information (Yigitcanlar, 2015). Therefore, the government has to ensure that its communication
is easily accessible and more open, hence the need for e-planning.
Another motivation for the implementation of e planning in Australia is the fact the initiative is
at its foundational level. There is, however, progress in the implementation of e planning in each
jurisdiction on Electronic development assessment. Any future vision should improve on the
current stalled processes and advance them accordingly. Most of the stakeholder of e planning
have fully supported e planning activities in different jurisdictions, but e planning in these
regions has not developed to levels where there is a universal strategic view on how e planning
should be advanced in the future. nevertheless, such success requires an environment with
minimal regulation (Byrne, Sipe, & Dodson, 2014).
Examples of The Use Of E-Planning In NSW
Electronic planning in NSW has progressed and has been implemented in different government
departments and services. E planning for NSW emphasizes on facilitating development
evaluation, boosting general office efficiency and the application of outlined standard tools. The
NSW planning and Environment; which is a state planning agency, introduced a number of e
planning tools to aid in the development of a smart NSW. A brief evaluation of the tools shows
that they are aimed at improving office efficiency and assistance of the developers in the
automation processes. Some of the examples of the use of e planning in NSW include application

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tracking, interactive buildings, electronic housing code, and planning viewer (Williamson &
McFarland, 2012).
The planning viewer is a free online tool that demonstrates the planning regulations that are
relevant to properties in NSW. The application is integrated into Google-maps technology and
helps potential developers in efficiently discovering the specific types of planning regulations
relevant to specific parcels of land. the planning viewer also allows the clients to search for
properties with specific planning regulations and appropriate to them. For instance, the tool
permits the developers to quickly find out the places that allow the construction of multistorey
buildings (NSW Planning and Environment, 2014).
Application tracking is another example of the use of e planning in NSW. This is an online
system that permits clients to follow up on the progress in their developments. This tool works to
fast track, streamline and help in the process of approving development projects. The broader
objectives of the planning system reforms of the past 15 years include efficiency, simplicity and
supporting the construction of buildings. Currently, the system is lagging behind in some NSW
councils. The state planning departments of NSW provide grants as a strategy of encouraging
local councils to be actively involved in NSW Planning and Environment, 2014).
The Electronic Housing Code (EHC) is an online system that permits clients to find out if they
can develop any planning approvals or using a fast-tracked approval mechanism. The EHC
allows the clients to log in and monitor complying development applications online. The clients
can enjoy an efficient and standardised system that is accessible at any time and place.
Moreover, the developers are not charged any fee. It is significant to point out that complying

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development is intricately associated with the privatization of development appraisals through
private certifiers (NSW Planning and Environment, 2014).
Another example of the use of e planning in NSW is the free online interactive building tool
which helps the clients to understand development expectations for usual building works that do
not require planning approvals. The potential developers can use this application to receive the
development standards in clear and simple language and that are applicable to different aspects
of residential, business or industrial developments. The developers will only be required just
click on the appropriate section of the building.
Benefits and Pitfalls Of E-Planning
Discussions on the strengths and weaknesses of e-planning have been researched and can be
located both in the government reports and academic literature. Much attention has been given
on the merits and de-merits of e planning due to technological advancement and the demand for
sophisticated services by customers.
E-planning is also beneficial in making the decision-making process more transparent and
answerable to the public by permitting the development of informed views regarding urban or
regional planning applications and evaluation mechanisms (Anttiroiko, 2012). Stakeholders
require a transparent and accountable planning system where services are easily accessible
online. The public is also unsatisfied with the limited access to planning information at the initial
stages (Kim & Lee, 2012). The NSW government has a primary role of addressing these issues
using e-planning through the integration of services and establishment of standards and
regulations to govern e-planning so as to ensure that there are transparency and accountability in
the delivery of government services.

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E-planning is beneficial because it saves on cost and time. The e-planning program as
implemented by the NSW government ICT strategy and the NSW open data policy is aimed at
making sure that government services are digitalized by default, substantially minimizing the
costs and reducing the waiting times, shortening red tape and changing the manner in which the
state involves and empowers the community (Wallin, Saad-Sulonen, Amati, & Horelli, 2012).
E-planning promotes online usage. Approximately 91.9% of Australians have direct internet
access with 71% using mobile phones to access the internet (Hudson, 2014). It is therefore
obvious that the public has high expectations of them being able to access government services
through an online platform. The public expects to read and share information and carry out
business online. The eplanning program is a package to deliver all these prospects and to
contribute towards efficient service delivery in the modern public sector.
There are also several pitfalls for e-planning and they are closely linked to e-government, for
instance, legislative and budgetary hindrances, technological needs and issues to do with digital
divide (Gauld, Gray & McComb, 2009), absence of specific-training in e-planning; which can
account for the variations experienced in different municipalities or councils, or among countries
(Hildén, 2013). Legal hindrances are common including copyrights of cartographic information,
the confidential nature of public information and the legal requirement that communication ought
to be carried in hard copy; an aspect that limits the opportunities to utilize electronic
communications. the shift from a paper-based system is likely to face resistance from employees
and elected officials. Departments may resist by becoming unwilling to share information
causing the implementation of ICT to be conducted separately in each department. However, it
may later become very complex to link these departments for purposes of sustained maintenance
and keeping it updated. E-planning can also result into new social exclusions, in some instances

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due to the proximity of existing social, commercial and geographical distinctions, just like the
previous technologies had done (Ramadoss & Palanisamy, 2012).
E-planning is essentially a government initiative and it usually takes a departmental or sub-
departmental scoping approach, which can only allow systems to work on sub-sections of the
greater workflows, instead of an entire government approach. Another pitfall is the unfamiliarity
by the staff on modern technology and the lack of willingness to learn. Most of the government
employees in different departments have been used to the manual system and are also not tech
savvy thus causing resistance to change. They do not want to take painstaking efforts to learn
modern technology and this makes them unable to define the type of system needs that requires
to be developed.
Software development engineers are also unacquainted with the business process of the local
government, and thus making them to take so long to develop software. The contractors also end
up designing software that is not compatible with the business process of local government, thus
making integration difficult and the staff preferring the manual system instead of the digital one.
This type of problem can also have unfavourable impacts on consultancy organizations who
cannot allow additional work each and every time without an additional cost attached to It
(Williamson & McFarland, 2016).
Amati (2011) examined the ideal conventions that affect the process of e-planning and then
juxtaposed with the process of e-planning in practice. The feedback from the respondents with
expert planners found out that e-planning serves to promote bureaucracy, especially in its role as
a system for monitoring development applications. On the other hand, when implemented in a
strategic project, it behaves in a distortionary way by overstating some elements of the planning

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process, and at the same time disregarding others. Based on the findings of Amati’s (2011), it is
evident that concealment plays a critical role in this distortion. Contrariwise, others perceive e-
planning as a tool to communicate public policy strategy, to foster citizen empowerment and to
promote the social organization, economic competitiveness and ecological sustainability.
Benefits and Pitfalls of e-planning
The benefits of e-planning far outweigh the pitfalls for multiple reasons. E-planning program is
an idea was time has come and it’s impossible to just wish it away because of the pitfalls that are
outdated. Most of the pitfalls have to do with employees that do not want change are not even
willing to learn any technological shift but instead prefer the old manual system of doing things.
Considering the technological advancements in Australian, it is evident that e-planning will take
the opposers by storm. For instance, over 91.1% of Australians have access to the internet and
conduct most of their businesses online. Moreover, private organizations have gone online with
almost all their services being integrated into modern technology because they are shifting with
changing times. Some of the benefits of e-planning include transparency and accountability,
saves time and cost, efficient delivery of government services among others. The major pitfalls
for e-planning include legislative and budgetary hindrances, the requirement of technological
infrastructure, resistance to change by staff, lack of training in e-planning among others.
Comparing these benefits with the existing pitfalls, it is clear that the benefits far outweigh the
pitfalls. Moreover, the pitfalls are issues that can easily be handled once individuals and
stakeholders appreciate the benefits of e-planning
Conclusion
The NSW state government has in the past decade implemented reforms geared towards
streamlining and simplifying planning frameworks that were considered to be too stringent and

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uncompetitive. This is still being achieved through e-planning in which the aim is to make the
system more investor-friendly, effective delivery of public services, and to attract investment.
However, this initiative has had pitfalls that impeded its success. These include legislative and
budgetary hindrances, the requirement of technological infrastructure, resistance to change by
staff, lack of training in e-planning among others. The benefits of e-planning far outweigh the
current pitfalls because it is an idea whose time has come and it's being propelled by other
uncontrollable forces such as technological advancement and the increase in the number of
Australians that use mobile phones and can have access to the internet.

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