As planning delays and housing challenges persist across Australia, home-grown planning technology, myLot, is helping councils to manage the delivery of high-quality planning outcomes, faster.
Now live in Victoria and underway in NSW and Queensland, myLot, is officially out of pilot mode and expanding to support councils across Australia.
With the goal of simplifying planning for everyone, myLot initially co-developed its AI planning enquiry service with Yarra Ranges Council, going live earlier this year.
Since then, it has gone live at Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and Bayside City Council, and is set to launch at Boroondara City Council, Mooney Valley City Council and Sunshine Coast Council soon. While technology implementation can often take years for councils, myLot’s implementation period is now just two to three months.
Once live, residents use myLot’s 24/7 online service for accurate answers to their planning enquiries – finding out what they can do on their land within local planning schemes, such as build a house, granny flat or deck, remove trees, extend or renovate. myLot answers their initial questions and guides them through others to understand what permits might be needed and how to avoid delays on their projects.
myLot is also working with Penrith City Council and Wollondilly Shire Council in NSW to develop a related but new tool to assist planners, with funding from the Australian Government Housing Support Program.
myLot Co-founder and CEO, Tim Golsby-Smith says myLot applies the very latest AI technology to old planning problems that cause approval delays of between two to six months and fuel housing challenges.
“Working with councils, we know planning confusion and delays are a huge source of frustration for communities and also for planning teams,” Golsby-Smith said.
“When co-developed with councils, AI is now at a point where it can genuinely alleviate the burden of repetitive time-consuming work for planners, such as information gathering and early enquiries, making their jobs more enjoyable and reducing planning delays without adding stress.”
He says that improving planners’ job satisfaction was especially important with planner shortages, universities cancelling planning degrees and changing regulatory landscapes, including new Victorian regulations that took effect in April and mark the state’s most significant shift in a generation in planning.
“No matter where you are in Australia, planning jobs can be challenging. Flexible and advanced technology that’s not tied to one state or territory is essential in solving the persistent and growing delays caused by so many factors,” Mr Golsby-Smith said.
“We love helping planning teams have more time for the skilled work they enjoy and are trained for, and that our towns and cities desperately need them for.”
Yarra Ranges Council Manager Planning and Building, Amanda Kern, agrees.
“When you combine complex planning schemes, changing regulatory environments, staff shortages and population growth, many councils face high volumes of planning enquiries and applications,” Ms Kern said.
“But with myLot, residents get the planning information they need to make key decisions earlier in the design phase of their project. And when they do talk to council, they’re more confident in understanding the planning controls which apply to their property. It also assists them to know what information they will need to submit with their application, making the planning process quicker.”
