The Department of Infrastructure‘s Planning and Building Control Division is pleased to announce the launch of a new on-line visual planning guidance tool – The Interactive House at www.myhouse.im.
The tool is a simple, visual and very quick way for members of the public to find easy to understand guidance on whether a planning and / or building control application is required, by the click of a mouse.
At any time of the day, the public can look at the outside or inside of the house to select a feature such as a house extension, solar panels or even a flag pole, and find out the detail about Planning and Building Control requirements.
Howard Quayle, MHK, Chairman of the Planning Committee said ‘Members of the public are sometimes confused as to whether they do or do not need Planning permission or Building Control approval. This is a great tool that helps them to navigate the requirements, and because it is so visual it is really easy to use. This is another good example of how the Division is continuously seeking to improve its service to customers.’
The interactive house is part of the Department’s DoI on-line initiative to provide more services and better information. The initiative is part of the broader Government wide ‘Transforming Government’ change process. The Planning and Building Control Division receives a significant number of telephone calls, visits to Reception and emails about minor Planning queries. The cost of dealing with these queries face-to-face is very expensive compared to allowing the home user to access the information at their leisure and from the comfort of their own home. It is hoped that this on-line facility will help both the public in their enquiries and the Department in reducing its operating costs.
The Department of Infrastructure has an on-going programme to make its services more accessible on-line and through mobile applications. The Interactive House is the third service to be put on-line as part of this project and follows the ‘Report a Problem’ smart phone application and Vehicle Tax on-line. More services will be rolled out as the year progresses.
