Fenland District Council Receives 23% of Apps From Submit-a-Plan

Fenland District Council in Cambridgeshire is pleased to be celebrating their first year since going live with DataSpace for Submit-a-Plan in October 2005.

The system enables Fenland District Council to offer their customers the option to make and track the progress of their Building Control applications online using the LABC Submit-a-Plan National Building Control Portal. www.submit-a-plan.com

Less Than a Year Since Going Live

Since going live Fenland District Council has actively promoted the use of electronic Building Control Applications to its customers using simple but effective methods. Firstly a few local architects were approached to trial the new service before rolling out to all customers. Fenland District Council shortly added a prominent link on their Building Control Homepages to inform their customers about the online service, as well as directly informing them. Fenland District Council now receives 23% of Full Plan Applications electronically though the LABC Submit-a-Plan Portal in less than a year since going live.

Nick Seaton , Building Control Manager at Fenland commented, “We are very pleased with the number of electronic applications being made online using the LABC Submit-a-Plan Portal. To reach 23% in such a short time endorses the fact that our clients have a requirement be able to make electronic submissions.

Even before the installation of DataSpace for Submit-a-Plan we knew that electronic applications were the way forward, and our customer feed back proves it. We made a conscious decision from the start of the project not just to install a system, but to embrace technology and new methods of working for the benefit of our customers; this has been the key to its success.

The DataSpace for Submit-a-plan system has proved its worth as it not only enables us to receive electronic applications but provides us with all of the tools required to process an electronic application.

Looking to the future we are keen to increase the number of electronic applications we receive through the Submit-a-Plan National Portal as this reduces the number of paper applications we will have to scan. Our customers will soon be able to benefit further with the Submit-a-Plan link to the Planning Portal. The link will allow application details made on the Planning Portal to be made available on Submit-a-plan for when a Building Control application is required; this means no double inputting of details for our customers.

We are currently looking at expanding the system and adding Remote Working and Electronic Consultation modules.”