The City of Cape Town is implementing an exciting new portal that will make it significantly easier and convenient for the public and professionals to do development related business with the City’s Development Management Department. The new portal will go live on Monday, 27 February 2023. However, the public should please note that the City will not be able to receive land use (development) and building plan applications from 20 February to 26 February 2023 while we are migrating from the old to the new portal.
The City’s Development Management Department only accepts building plan and land use applications online, through its e-services portal. This portal has now been upgraded to provide more online services to the public – these are residents and professionals who are registered for e-services.
‘Those familiar with the current portal will know that it offers a limited number of services. The City decided some time ago that we need to invest in a new portal that will keep up with changing times and needs. This investment puts to best use the advantages of new technology to expand our offerings to clients, and to speed up the City’s internal processes.
‘We are confident that residents and professionals will find it easier and convenient to use the new upgraded portal. For example, the new portal will offer a complete online service catalogue where residents can request copies of building plans, zoning extracts, occupancy certificates, and so forth. This will be the one-stop-shop for all development related queries and requests to the City and one of the biggest advancements in this field by any municipality in South Africa. It again confirms that ease of doing business with the City of Cape Town is a top-priority for us,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment.
The upgraded Development Application Management portal will be live as from Monday, 27 February 2023. Residents and professionals will then have online access to an expanded range of services:
Submit building plan applications
Submit development/land use applications
‘My application’ app to check and view all building plan applications on profile (new)
‘My application’ app to check and view all land use/development applications on profile (new)
Submit requests for zoning extracts (new)
Download application feasibility information (new)
Search for application data (new)
Book pre-consultation meetings (new)
Submit a sketch plan (new)
Submit bulk applications (new)
Request a building inspection (new)
Request a permission to use (new)
Request an occupancy certificate (new)
Request building plan copies (new)
Resubmit an application after a refusal (new)
Request to extend the approval period of an application (new)
The City will migrate from the old to the new portal from 20 February to 26 February 2023. During this time, we will not accept any land use and building plan applications. Residents will also not be able to submit land use or building (enforcement) complaints online during this period. However, requests for copies of building plans and enforcement related issues can continue through the walk-in centres.
Residents and professionals are kindly requested to plan ahead, and to take this into consideration as, unfortunately, the City cannot receive applications while this migration is in process. We have done everything possible to limit this period to the bare minimum.
‘I have great news for property owners and given that I have been through this process myself recently, I know how much this improvement will mean. On the new portal, property owners will be able to track their land use and building applications online, on the portal, if they are registered for e-services. To date, only professionals can track applications on behalf of their clients. But once the new portal is in place, property owners will be able to keep tabs on the process and timelines as we often find that professionals do not keep their clients informed of the City’s progress with their land use and building plan applications.
‘Professionals in the development industry will also benefit as they will be able to submit a direct service request for inspections, consultations, feasibility of proposals, and tracking of all applications – all on one page,’ said Alderman Andrews.
The City will keep the public informed on the process, and how to navigate and use the new portal, once in place.
For more information:
Send an email to: PlanandBuilditRight@capetown.gov.za – to be added to the City’s Development Management Department’s newsletter subscription service and get updates sent directly to your mailbox.
A Question-and-Answer sheet is available on the City’s website at: https://bit.ly/3RudC5W
Source: City Of Cape Town