26/9/03
An innovative new Internet site is set to improve Water Corporation response times for water service applications and make it easier for builders to obtain approvals for single residential development.
Launched by Government Enterprises Minister Nick Griffiths today, the BuilderNet system is the first of its type to be introduced by an Australian water utility and will significantly speed up the application process.
Representatives from major building companies and local councils attended the launch and heard how in most cases, BuilderNet would be able to confirm an approval within minutes.
Mr Griffiths said BuilderNet had the capacity to improve considerably the current process which could be very costly and time-consuming for builders.
Builders are required to submit plans and water service applications to the Water Corporation to arrange for the provision of essential services and to ensure buildings are not constructed over, or too near, corporation assets.
"The on-line service has a number of benefits for the building industry, such as a tracking system to monitor the status of submitted requests, as well as automatic account debiting of fees associated with applications," Mr Griffiths said.
"The initial response from the building industry is very heartening, with several builders already signed-up to use the BuilderNet system.
"The Gallop Government is creating a stronger economy by encouraging innovation in science, research and development."
The corporation currently processes an average of 30,000 building plans and water service applications annually for the Perth metropolitan area. More than 10,000 are received from country regions and about 80 per cent of all plans are for new single residential properties.
BuilderNet works by allowing a remote computer to communicate with the corporation's systems to check against pre-set parameters.
It was developed in consultation with two of Western Australia's major builders to ensure it fully complied with industry needs.
The Minister acknowledged the commitment of Water Corporation staff, whose dedication and innovation had set a new benchmark in the provision of user-friendly, on-line services.
The new website is available at: http://www.watercorporation.com.au
Select: land developers & builders.
Minister's office: 9222 8950
