The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) Department of Development Planning is extending its pilot of the CoJ Construction Permit Management System and will continue with the project until all technical and security issues have been dealt with.
The pilot is intended to ensure that all aspects required to allow for the smooth transition from a paper-based, manual application process to a digital one are dealt with before the system goes live.
Members of the public will be duly informed when the city is ready to launch the project, it says in a November 9 statement.
The new Web-based construction permit system will modernise and streamline the current site development and building plan approval processes. Architectural professionals who are registered with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (Sacap) are encouraged to register on the portal in order to submit their respective building plan applications.
The current turnaround times for decisions, approvals or refusals, on building plans for a commercial property, are at least 30 days, whereas the online permit system will provide a decision within 15 days, provided that all documentation and application forms are completed.
Through the implementation of the system, the CoJ Department of Development Planning will enhance the operational efficiency and good governance of the department, to improve on its service delivery mandates.
Workshops are available for Sacap-registered architectural professions who are interested in participating in the pilot.