Important Enhancements to Roads Act Digital Services

Important Enhancements to Roads Act Digital Services

The ePlanning Program has introduced several enhancements to the digital services on the NSW Planning Portal that relate to the NSW Roads Act 1993 (Roads Act). These enhancements are directly informed by feedback from our stakeholders.

Applicants can now apply for multiple Roads Act applications within the same digital workflow. For example, a café owner wanting to expand their business onto the footpath can now apply online for an outdoor dining permit (under Section 125 of the Roads Act) and apply to erect an awning over this seating area (under Section 138 of the Roads Act) within one swift process. The provision of a digital workflow will save time, while encouraging greater business activity across the State.

Similarly, applicants looking to renew certain Roads Act-related permits can now use their Portal application numbers to prepopulate the digital workflow. Again, this will speed up the process and save applicants from having to re-enter information.

Further to this, councils can now choose whether to opt in or out of individual Roads Act services on the Portal, enabling them to offer those services that are relevant to their local government area.

We are also pleased to announce that the Program has developed a new digital service that enables applicants to apply to their roads authority (for example council) for a permit under Section 144 of the Roads Act. Previously, if an applicant wanted to set up a market or hold a charity event on a road, where the council is the roads authority, they would have to apply to that council directly, in some cases in person. The process differed from one council to another across the State. There is now a uniform process available in a single location, should the roads authorities choose to take up the opportunity.

Please contact your roads authority to see which of these services are available to you.