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Mike Hayes, President of the RTPI, launched the new PARSOL (Planning and Regulatory Services Online) e-Gov. project at the RTPI Annual Convention on 24 June.
PARSOL is developing a range of guidelines, benchmarks, schemas, systems and toolkits to assist Local Authorities in building effective and transparent online planning and regulatory systems. It is intended to bring working benefits to Local Authority departments and officers and ultimately to provide both citizens and business users alike with faster and more effective services online.
Graham Jones, Senior Vice–President of the Planning Officers Society and Chairman of the Society’s Management Topic Group said “providing the users of the planning system with user friendly access in as many formats as we can must be a key objective to all local planning authorities. PARSOL is to be congratulated in the progress that has been made in enabling the delivery of effective electronic systems and services throughout the environmental sector.”
As part of the PARSOL project, work has been finalised on the procurement process to achieve effective competition for bids to provide the new on-line Development Plans Representations System (DPRAS).
DPRAS is intended for citizens to be able to make on-line representations on the new style development plan documents in a common format to local authorities thus ensuring ease of ease and consistency for all. It will also enable the Planning Inspectorate to more readily administer the new public examination process.
POS is represented on the DPRAS Project Board by John Silvester, the Society’s Publicity Officer & Spokesperson, who commented “getting everything onto the web is laudable and wherever possible the process should be standardised. Anything that helps to speed up the production of Inspector’s reports is welcomed. However, the devil is in the detail and I am keen to ensure that the new system will be an effective tool for all.”
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PARSOL can be viewed at www.parsol.gov.uk
The Society’s President is Paul Watson, Tel 0121 7048038, Fax 0121 7046592, Email paulwatson@solihull.gov.uk
The Society’s Publicity Officer & Spokesperson is John Silvester, Tel 01276 707214, Fax 01276 707201, Email john.silvester@surreyheath.gov.uk
The Society’s website is www.planningofficers.org.uk |
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