Architects positive about online availability of plans

The move is part of the plans for Smart Guernsey, the States initiative which aims to make more services available via the internet.

Stage one of the move will be for people to be able to view plans online, with stage two allowing the initial application to be made electronically too.

‘It will be a fabulous initiative,’ said PF+A managing director Peter Falla.

The company has been sending applications to Planning electronically for a couple of years as part of a trial, he said. ‘But we’ve still had to submit three paper copies as normal.’

These paper copies are currently the only ones that can be viewed by the public, who have to go to Sir Charles Frossard House.

But by the end of this year people will be able to see the plans from any computer and comment on them and ultimately make their applications online.

Mr Falla said online plans would cut the cost of the firm having to pay for printed copies and that would in turn reduce the cost to the client.

‘And in terms of transparency and giving people the chance to have their say, it’s not a bad thing,’ he said.

It was likely that there would be more objections to plans, but he did not see this as a big problem.

‘Planning will confirm that 20 objections saying the same thing is not 20 times as strong.’

He hoped that once plans were online, there would no longer be a need to provide paper copies.

CCD managing director Andrew Dyke said the move will make it easier for people to proceed with applications.

‘In terms of viewing online, I think that happens in the UK anyway,’ he said. The firm already digitises its plans for sending to Building Control.

‘There may well be more opposition to the applications because more people will be looking at them, but I don’t think that will have an effect on the outcomes because planning officers tend to view applications in relation to the relevant policies.’

Lovell, Ozanne and Partners consultant Andrew Ozanne also welcomed the move and said the company had already spoken to the planning department about facilitating a move across to digital applications. ‘In the age we’re living in, you almost expect it,’ he said.

‘It will hopefully give Planning the chance to be more streamlined and use their resources more efficiently.’

People who go to view plans are not allowed to copy them at present and Mr Ozanne said there might be a copyright issue once the plans are made available online.

‘I’m not too bothered about copyright, but Planning could make it a view-only file and not print-enabled,’ he said.

Like his fellow architects, he did not foresee a problem with lots of people opposing plans.

‘I always do my best to work within the planning laws and these are the safeguards that the public rely on.’