New ePlanning portal goes live tomorrow

A new online ePlanning portal, with expanded services, is due to go live tomorrow, Wednesday.

ePlanning.scot will replace the existing portal ePlanning.scotland.gov.uk but will have a dual running period for about two months.

From January 13  to March 17, there will be a transitional period when applicants can complete their draft planning applications online through the ePlanning.scotland.gov.uk portal. Any new applications will be created in the ePlanning.scot portal as of January 13.

All drafts that began in the ePlanning Scotland portal will need to be completed before March 17, as the portal will be closed after this date.

A new eBuilding Standards.scot portal will also be launched in summer 2016, offering applicants the chance to submit building warrants online for the first time.

In Orkney, over 80 per cent of planning applications are submitted electronically, compared to the Scottish national average of just over 60 per cent. Orkney also has a better average for determining applications with a turn-around rate of seven weeks compared to the national average of over nine weeks.

Roddy Mackay, head of planning and regulatory services for Orkney Islands Council, said: “The online service, which has been going since 2009, has proven to be very successful. It gives residents the opportunity to submit their applications any time of day or night and has proven to save applicants time and money.

“A modern and efficient planning system is crucial to ongoing economic growth and development so this up-to-date system is very welcome.”

UK Planning Maps which supplies Ordnance Survey maps for planning applications and is run by Shapinsay based business Copla Ltd, was successfully selected by the Scottish Government, as one of the three recommended mapping suppliers for planning applications in Scotland and features on the new portal.

The Scottish Government has set up a help desk to deal with any technical issues arising from the introduction of the new portal. For more information on these changes and how it may affect you, visit eplanning.scotland.gov.uk/WAM/edevelopment.htm