E-Planning in NSW: Analysis of Tools, Benefits, and Pitfalls

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of e-planning in New South Wales (NSW), exploring the tools employed, such as application tracking, electronic housing codes, interactive buildings, planning viewers, and local insights. It highlights the benefits of e-planning, including increased efficiency, transparency, and improved stakeholder engagement. The report also discusses potential pitfalls, such as concerns about anonymity, information accessibility, and the impact on stakeholder participation. The report concludes with recommendations for further improvements to the e-planning system in NSW, suggesting the adoption of additional tools to enhance service delivery. The report draws attention to the rapid growth of e-planning in Australia and its impact on the urban planning process.

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E-Planning
By Name
Course
Instructor
Institution
Location
Date

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Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3
INTRODUCTION 4
E-PLANNING TOOLS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
BENEFITS OF E-PLANNING ……..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………6
PITFALLS OF E-PLANNING …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………8
CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….10
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….13

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E – Planning
Executive Summary
This report was commissioned to study the usage of e-planning tools in New South
Wales (NSW) located in southeast Australia, its benefits and possible problems to the system
of e-planning.
This research draws attention to the fact that e-planning has really helped the urban
planning sector in NSW due to the usage of tools like application tracking, electronic housing
code, interactive building, planning viewer and local insights. Further investigations reveal
that e-planning faces some pitfalls which raise the issue about anonymity, identity and easy
access to information which may lead to problems. These limitations however have not
outweighed the benefits of e-planning. It is recommended that NSW employs more tools such
as cyber Quest, STRAD and Strategizer in order to better the services of e-planning in the
area.

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Introduction
Notably, E-planning is the use of IT tools or systems, for example, geographical information
system (GIS), planning support system (PSS) and database management system (DBMS). E-planning,
in other words, can be explained as the broad use of communication and information technology as
used in the urban planning process or the use of E-government principles to urban planning
(Alexander, 2016). It is a setup which helps government officials and associates in easing planning
activities. This use of technology-based tools helps deliver better planning information, services and
results to the public. E-planning program has replaced the earlier traditional paper-based and face to
face interactions to a more transparent and easier to use online environment where any data regarding
planning can be readily available at any time. The shift to e-planning was accelerated by the need of
having an urban planning process that is more efficient, with reduced costs and time efficient. E-
planning in Australia has seen a rapid growth in the last fifteen years and in this paper we are going to
discuss the use of e-planning in one of the states in Australia, NSW, and how it has affected the urban
planning process either positively or negatively.
New South Wales (NSW) located in southeast Australia is one of the most populous states. It
is estimated that 4.5 million people live in Sydney which is the Australian economic powerhouse
(Bennadji, Laing, and Gray, 2015). This calls for a better urban planning process and NSW began its
modern planning in 1945 where they had to make some legislative changes to the then local
government (Bishop et al, 2017). These changes did not bring positive results and in the year 1979, a
new body formed the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (EPAA). EPAA was very
important and was accepted widely from all sectors since it really helped people in planning. Reforms
about planning in NSW are on the fast track nowadays and are majorly focusing on making the state
an economic hub with the best urban planning layouts. These reforms have been a success in the state
since its employment of the E-planning process. E-planning has led to a more efficient, fast,
automated –based systems that have been of great help to developers.

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E-planning tools
In the year 2014, NSW state planning agency initiated a series of e-planning tools
which were to be used in developing a smart NSW and Sydney (Brown, 2015). These tools
have been accepted by developers to be more efficient hence improve the automation
mechanisms. The following are some of the tools that are used in NSW in facilitating e-
planning in urban planning:
Application tracking
This tool is significant to developers since it assists them in monitoring their progress
in their work. It is an online system whose main aim is to shorten, fast track and help
development approvals process. This has, therefore, helped achieve the goals set 10-15 years
of speed and simplicity. This system is been trialled in many local councils in NSW.
Electronic Housing Code
Electronic Housing Code (EHC) is a tool that helps developers to decide whether they
can build any planning approvals or whether they can use a fast-tracked approval process.
This online system helps the developers to lodge and track complying developments easily
online. This system comes with the advantage that it is free to use and it easily accessible,
fast and has a standardised system (Campagna et al, 2018). Of great importance is that
complying development is thoroughly related to the privatization of development approvals
through private certifies.
Interactive Buildings
This online tool is used by developers in building works that do not need planning
approvals known as exempt development. This online tool will help the developers to
understand the building's development standards. This system gives advice to prospective
developers on issues regarding what development standards to apply to numerous areas of
buildings (residential, commercial and industrial) (Capra, 2016). The advice comes in a

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simple language and the system is easy to use since the developers only require to click on a
significant part of the building.
Planning Viewer
Developers need to know the planning rules to apply to properties in NSW and this
online free tool is used for the purpose. It has numerous advantages like helping prospective
developers in determining what rules to apply in individual land parcels and also help them
know properties that require unique planning rules. It can be applied for example in
determining whether a multi-storey building is permitted in a certain area.
Local Insights
An online application that is available on both mobiles phones and desktop computers for
developers to access various information related to planning and what is going on in NSW
local government areas.
Benefits of e-planning
Before e-planning was fully implemented, interactions between various departments,
councils and the community could only happen during the working hours, only paper-based
documents, forms and maps were available. This made the whole process very tiresome and
time-consuming and interactions could only happen through conventional approaches to
stakeholder engagement. This prompted the department of e-planning to transform the
delivery of planning and development services. They included online lodgement and tracking
of applications, having an interactive map where planning information could be viewed and
devising new ways in which stakeholders can participate in the planning process (Logan and
Walker, 2018 pp.197). The community is not left behind by these e-planning tools
developments since they can access vital authoritative planning information and services
anytime they like online.

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E-planning program has brought about many benefits ranging from better
transparency, quality and reliability of any data in the state of NSW, improve confidence in
the e-planning process and also save money. By use of e-planning, one is able to make
decisions faster and better. E-planning has launched new features in which have greatly been
of use to its users. They include user registration, view detailed information, search, and save
search.
User Registration feature notifies the user with an e-mail when a new planning
application is added to the system. The feature requires the user to create his or her own
profile hence always get a notification on areas where they are interested. This feature,
however, does not necessarily need one to register as one can search for any information
about planning applications, appeals and properties. View detailed information allows users
to access information and documents which are related to a selected application online.
Search allows users to search numerous options that they require for example by
status or the date validated. Users can search information through the description of what
they need. Using property and postcode search one can search for any application progress
for a certain road alphabetically. Applications on the system can also be viewed by use of a
postcode.Save a search feature allows users to save their daily and common searches. This
allows them to save time the next time they log in to the site. Map search allows users to view
where applications are on a map. This feature has worked under a pre-selected time period,
for example, the last six weeks or two years. Track applications is used when there is a
change in the status of a planning application, users are in a position to receive automatic
emails hence track the applications
Other benefits of the e-planning systems include, members of the community are in a
position to appeal development actions in a cheap way, the community benefit from practical
tools which are given by the state government, communities and councils must be at an

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agreement on issues concerning new planning schemes and climate change is highly
considered in all development proposals.
Online lodgement of planning scheme submissions provides an opportunity for further
integration of planning and development functions and also enhances lodgement and
management capabilities.
Planning scheme amendments which are notified through various electronic channels
(email and social media) takes advantage of new technology platforms to distribute
information and better engage with stakeholders regarding planning scheme amendments
The system has an electronic calculator for calculating infrastructure charges and this can be
assessed by all the stakeholders
The system has an improved customer engagement option where users have the
advantage of having an improved web conferencing functions. The system also makes use of
QR codes .The system has a platform whereby there is ‘how to' videos. These videos educate
the users on lodgement process, interpreting conditions, reading planning scheme,
determining the level of assessment and applicable codes.
Pitfalls of e-planning
In the recent years, there has been an explosion globally over the usage of the internet
in e-planning. This has resulted in numerous articles and journals in the area of e-planning
research trying to figure out whether the e-planning technology can deliver better planning
outcomes. (Ertiö, 2015). There have been issues about the virtual reality features questioning
whether this will empower the stakeholders as a part of the decision-making process (Ertiö
and Bhagwatwar, 2017). In reality, e-planning poses a big challenge to planners when the
technology is used in the participatory frame. This is because the technology comes with the
benefits of transparency that makes the community to be always informed about anything
thus in case there is a controversy, decision making will be negatively affected. The other

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danger with great transparency is that it will affect the existing assumptions about the role of
stakeholders and planners.
Jean Baudrillard is a French post-modern thinker who has numerous appropriate
commentaries on the impact of technology on society. He suggested that in a modern
planning setting idea always represent themselves as real events. Power also is supposed to
be structured in a rational and orderly way and in post-modern planning, it is expected that
there should be a collapse of these structures due to developers, resistant groups and the
public (Baudrillard, 2016). This applies in e-planning whereby it is expected that technology
can collapse any time. E-planning has the benefit of letting the public to have a lot of
information but in one of the Baudrillard's essays about the silent response of the masses to a
lot of information, he sees the media as a mode of communication that could not be
responded to since there is the ‘silent majority' whose opinions are not considered thus
leading to a manipulated result. This is related to e-planning whereby vital concern of
planners is to downplay the views and opinions of the vocal minority and try to apprehend
what the silent majority wants. This is a danger in waiting in e-planning since the silent
majority could be having a strategy of disengagement from the technology.
In spite of the interest and resources dedicated by the local authority to e-planning,
there was a credit to some of the pitfalls of using a more effective e-planning tactic. To be
precise, there was a perceived risk that by making the systems more effective the personal,
unrestricted elements of planning would be missed (Falco and Kleinhans 2018). The system
puts the planners at the risk of turning them into ‘monkeys; pushing buttons on computers
forgetting that there is merit assessment in each and every work. This system of e-planning
can lead to a perception that planning is just a game of numbers but in particular, planning
should be an art.

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The issue about anonymity and identity in e-planning is a major concern since it may
cause problems. In e-planning, it is possible to have anonymous posts and debates thus
causing problems with the boundaries between interest groups (Kline, 2016 pp.641). This
anonymity can be abused by planners who have agendas of using the system's forum for
political needs. This also caused the problem of whereby since people do not need to identify
themselves, this may lead to non-residents using the system. Anonymity leads to lack of
accountability and this can lead to opposition and cruelty.
E-planning tools come with the advantage that the services are cheap and easy to
access. This poses a problem in the future since there could be an issue of over consulting.
The system risks a danger of being manipulated whereby an amount of control can be
embedded using a software to the internet (Paulus and Baruah, 2018, p192). This control may
go unnoticed therefore affecting the system's transparency. Other limitations that face this
system is cyber-attack whereby there can be a virus to affect the processes of the system.
Arguably, e-planning has brought a lot of changes in the urban planning field. This,
however, has been met with numerous challenges and potential dangers that may happen to
the systems if the above-discussed limitations are not well addressed. Any system is expected
to have its own challenges but as for e-planning, the benefits outweigh the pitfalls in a huge
way. These pitfalls are little concern as compared to the problems that people faced when
using the traditional paper-based systems.
Conclusion
E-planning has really helped urban planning in Australia and in particular NSW.
This has raised great expectations and the tools of this system are so powerful such that they
have changed the depth in the way planning works. In NSW, there are some vital computer –
aided policymaking tools that have not yet been implemented. (Saad-Sulonen, 2014). These
tools are of great importance in enhancing better planning. The following tools are very

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important in strategic planning and should be used in NSW. However, the need for a better
technology has led to not questioning whether there are any dangers in waiting or whether
there can be a system with better planning outcomes. Australia has a great focus on economic
efficiency thus their planning reforms have been broadly supported by the housing industry
lobbyists. There are various local communities who have raised voices of discord towards the
lack of proper consideration of public participation and sustainability issues. Reforms lay a
solid emphasis on the use of electronic planning. The NSW state has entirely focused on the
use of technology in order to improve their routine planning. (Suseela and Uma, 2017). This
has been a success due to the employment of various measures like electronic lodgement,
tracking and assessment of development applications.
In order to make sure that e-planning system in NSW is more effective, there are
various tools that have not been implemented. The following programs/software, when
implemented, will improve urban- plan in the area. The Cyber Quest tool contains some
multimedia properties and is of great help in the ‘think' phase of the policymaking. Users are
able to use the tool when carrying out any analysis and can access the spreadsheet, drawings
and the internet.
STRAD is known as the strategic adviser and can be likened to the ‘choose' part of
the policy-making process. It comprises assembling people together to figure out about
policymaking problem. The software works by alerting users on the dangers posed when
implementing certain policies and scrutinises the level of doubt facing the problem. This
software also keeps records of comparative importance and urgency of policy-making issues
and assesses a number of likely, successive chain of activities. It also examines how various
policies affect each other.

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The strategizer program rates different policies using a simulated neural network. It
has the ability to copy ways in which past users make policies. This is vital in helping
community groups to rate different policies.

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