From 1 January 2021 Forbes Shire Council along with all NSW Councils are moving towards only accepting DA’s via the NSW Planning Portal.
The portal enables applicants to submit a Development Application 24 hours a day, seven days a week at a time that is convenient to the applicant.
“The new system enables applicants to check the progress of the DA at any time online,” say Forbes Shire Council Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM. “There will be no manual way to submit a DA, it will all be via this portal.”
“There is a great help line aspect to the portal at https://pp.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/contact-us that people should use first and if they are still having trouble they can then come to council, the staff can help if people are finding it difficult,” says Phyllis. “Responses to questions lodged in the portal are very quick, you will have an answer back within 24 hours.”
“Council can assist you with all of your building and planning approval needs, if you are starting a project and are unsure of what you need to do please make sure to take the first step of booking a prelodgement meeting so that we can get you started,” Phyliss advises. “It might be easier than you think as some projects don’t need complex approvals, just to adhere to standards. This could be the case if you are installing advertising signage, changing the use of a building, or running some businesses from home.”
“Many home alterations and additions can be done without having to go through a complicated approval process, there can be communication issues you need to deal with when planning your development. Talk to your neighbours about your development as this can be a great first step in making sure that it all goes smoothly.”