In June 2022, the Department invested $9.6 million to support the digital integrations of council IT systems with the NSW Planning Portal. All councils across NSW were eligible to apply for an individual grant of $80,000 each. 120 of the 128 councils applied and were successful in receiving the grant.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: $80,000
- Application opened: 31 May 2022
- Application closed: 9 June 2022
Program objective
The objectives of the grant are to:
- Relieve councils of their administrative burden in order to focus their efforts on the assessment process contributing to improved processing times.
- Support the flow of data between NSW Planning Portal and council’s IT system, eliminating the need for council personnel to transfer data manually.
This program is administered by Department of Planning and Environment.
Eligibility
All councils across NSW were eligible to apply for an individual grant of $80,000 each.
Who can apply
The grant funding is available for all 128 councils in NSW through this grant program following successful assessment of their application.
Types of projects funded under this grant
To provide funding assistance to councils to support the digital integrations of their IT systems with the Planning Portal using ePlanning APIs.
The grant seeks to achieve the following benefits for councils:
- Relieve councils of administrative burden to focus their efforts on the assessment process contributing to improved processing times.
- Support the flow of data between the NSW Planning Portal and council's IT system thereby reducing the need for manual data transfer.
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
During the application period from Tuesday 31 May 2022 to Thursday 9 June 2022, all councils can complete an online form, located on the NSW Planning Portal.
Accessing and completing the form will require a council to agree to use the funding as per the grant guidelines and agreement to sign the funding agreement.
Address the eligibility criteria
- Confirm the application is on behalf of a NSW council.
Address the assessment criteria
Councils agree to implement:
- The digital integration from council’s IT systems to the NSW Planning Portal Online DA Version 2 (V2) APIs by Friday 31 March 2023. This covers the adoption of new services and updates from Online DA V1 to V2.
- The digital integration from council’s IT systems to the NSW Planning Portal digital integration of the council’s IT systems with the following NSW Planning Portal integration APIs by Sunday 31 Dec 2023:
- Online Certificate Registration Service API V1.
- Online Post Consent Certificate Service API V1.
- Online CDC Service API V1.
- Online Building Information Certificate (BIC) Application Service API V1.
- If a council has already self-funded the above, the grant funding can be used for reimbursement of these investments.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Department of Planning and Environment.
Grant applications will be accepted and assessed as they are received from 31 May 2022 to 9 June 2022. Grant funding will be released in the form of a standard funding agreement for successful applications.
Successful recipients will be required to provide their first progress report by Wednesday 31 May 2023. This report should include evidence that the grant funding was spent towards achieving the digital integration of the council’s IT systems with NSW Planning Portal Online DA Version 2 (V2) APIs.
Recipients will also be required to provide an acquittal report to the Department with evidence that demonstrates the funds were expended for the for purpose for which the funding is provided.
As part of the acquittal report, recipients will need to:
- Declare that the funding was used for the purpose for which the funding was provided.
- Provide an itemised list specifying how the funds have been spent; and
- Confirm that a complete set of accounting and financial records relevant to the project (including invoices) have been maintained and will be available to the Department if requested.
Support and contact
For more information please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions document.