A new online application system could cut almost $5 million from annual building compliance costs in Western Australia, according to the WA Local Government Association.
A new online application system could cut almost $5 million from annual building compliance costs in Western Australia, according to the WA Local Government Association.
WALGA was a part of a consortium behind the project that also involved the City of Swan, Water Corporation, and the Housing Industry Association.
Below is the WALGA announcement:
Association Backed Project to Cut Building Costs
Almost $5m is expected to be cut from building compliancy costs annually across the State under a new online application process championed by the WA Local Government Association, as part of a consortium that also involved the City of Swan, Water Corporation, and the Housing Industry Association.
Awarded $495,810 in Federal Government funding, the Building Applications Lodgement Integration Project (BALIP) will establish an online portal as a single point for builders to submit building license applications and water connection applications at the same time by leveraging the Water Corporation's BuilderNetĀ® program.
Association President, Cr Bill Mitchell said the Federal Government funding had been secured through cooperation between the Association, the City of Swan and the Water Corporation.
"The Association identified the potential to fast track the project, but as a condition of application for the Federal funding required the involvement of a lead Council," Cr Mitchell said.
"Fortunately the City of Swan also had the foresight to realise the potential in the project and worked closely with Association staff to secure the funding."
The project will commence as a pilot application involving five WA Councils - Cities of Swan, Cockburn, Rockingham, Stirling and Wanneroo.
Cr Mitchell said it was intended that in just over 12 months the portal would be applied across Local Government in Western Australia with an estimated $4.8m in cost savings to builders as a result of spending less time on compliance.
"This project has the potential to benefit the entire community by ensuring that builders will not have to add in the cost of non construction time normally required for submitting applications to Councils," Cr Mitchell said.
"The result should be a quicker approval process at a lower cost with arguably greater transparency as to the progress of applications."
The Building Applications project was one of four WA projects awarded a total of $1.1m as part of the Federal Government's $50m Regulation Reduction Incentive Fund. The other WA projects were:
City of Albany: $417,000 to allow local businesses to lodge health and building applications online. To also incorporate: Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, Shire of Broome, City of Geraldton, City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
City of Stirling: $187,000 for a package of improvements for local businesses including an online regulation manual, free development information, tracking of development applications, online registration and licence applications, an information kiosk and amendments to local laws to help cut red tape.
Shire of Manjimup: $46,000 to provide an online communication system for local businesses to provide for greater convenience and expedite application processes.