The Isle of Anglesey County Council has gone live with Arcus Global’s planning and building control applications. The new cloud-based system enables the Council to record and process all applications, notifications and enquiries. It provides a single source of data to drive business efficiency and enable remote working.
For Anglesey’s planning team, the software gives them the functionality to process applications enquiries, appeals and enforcements quickly and easily. They can accept payments, query spatial data and satisfy consultation requirements. Likewise, the building control team are able to communicate electronically with citizens and stakeholders, managing inspection dates in one place.
Before going live with the public portal, the Council would have to consult on new planning applications by post. This meant printing out plans and all related documents.
Elena White, Business Systems Manager at Isle of Anglesey County Council, explains: “As well as printing costs, we’d also spend a considerable amount on postage. With the portal in place we’ve saved time and cut down our costs.”
With the planning and building control process all online and easily accessible, the Council has enabled its employees to work remotely, accessing Arcus Global’s highly responsive system from anywhere, at any time. Whether planning officers are working from home, in a remote office or on site they can navigate the system. Uploading documents and sending emails all within the same application, which ultimately allows them to be productive wherever they are, on any device.
“The current restrictions to our daily work and travel have been a fantastic test for the system. The entire Council has been working from home for the past 18 weeks and our planning, building and public platforms have been working perfectly – showing our employees they can carry on as normal without being in the office. It just goes to show what a difference being cloud-based makes,” says Elena.
