Status
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Yarra Ranges digital planning experience
Yarra Ranges Shire Council
Snapshot
- Timeline: August 2023 – June 2024
- Funding amount: $300,0000
Enhancing the digital planning experience for community with generative AI
Problem
A shortage of planners, complex planning controls and population growth in Yarra Ranges Shire significantly increased the number of enquiries and planning applications. This resulted in extended timeframes, frustrated applicants and planners.
Solution
The answer to this problem was found with funding from the Digital Planning Grants program and a co-design approach with Australian delivery partner MyLot.
Yarra Ranges Shire Council is leading the development of a world-first online tool that uses generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to address poor applicant experience and improve the quality of planning applications.
The new tool enables customers to input information about their project, intuitively navigate complex planning rules and speed up the preparation of assessment-ready applications.
Benefits
By providing tailored guidance for applicants and linking directly to the Planning Scheme, the new technology enhances accuracy, reduces processing times, and lightens council staff workload.
Other Victorian councils will also be able to take advantage of the progressive AI technologies that are developed under this groundbreaking project.
Learnings
AI technology integrates successfully into Statutory Planning functions to significantly improve customer experience and reduce the workload on Council staff, facilitating timely, quality planning outcomes.
We are confident that the MyLot Digital Planning tool we have created will transform how planning informs and empowers our customers early in the formative phase of their project, to explore and understand the planning controls relevant to their property, in their own words, and at their preferred times, while also assisting our planning team to dedicating more time to address the intricate details of customer inquiries and guiding applicants throughout the planning process.
Page last updated: 04/07/24