Planning at front of States’ digital queue

The Development & Planning Authority says it is at the front of the queue of States departments due for digitisation, after the technology company Agilisys won the contract in April last year to transform the delivery of IT services.

Planning applications should then be available to view online, instead of solely at Sir Charles Frossard House during office hours.

One of the aims is get residents more engaged with the planning processes that shape the island, and get their voices heard.

DPA president Dawn Tindall is eager to shake things up.

‘The planning department has been one of the first areas to be considered for digitisation as part of the Smart Guernsey programme.

‘I am advised by the chief information officer that they have completed the discovery phase and, just before the lockdown, developed a business case for delivery.

‘As with many parts of the States, they are reviewing this with a view to identifying which parts can be accelerated as a direct response to Covid-19 and to support remote working and service delivery through this period.

‘The wider transformation will be subject to priorities that will need to be part of the wider recovery strategy.’

The DPA has come in for criticism during the lockdown because of hold-ups caused by the legal requirement to have 21-day site notices.

A decision was taken at a political level to wait until the lockdown was eased until the public consultations could start again.

Deputy Tindall jumped to the defence of her civil servants, who she said had been going the ‘extra mile’ during the lockdown to provide as smooth a service as possible.

The planning website states that three planning applications have been received since 23 March, and Deputy Tindall clarified that this only relates to applications published and not the total number received.

A letter from Deputy Tindall explaining the changes is in the Voices tab of the News section under readers' letters.