SEEKING views on Waveney's Local Development Framework, a new system has been launched.Waveney District Council's Planning Policy service has introduced an interactive consultation portal, which can be accessed by visiting www.

SEEKING views on Waveney's Local Development Framework, a new system has been launched.

Waveney District Council's Planning Policy service has introduced an interactive consultation portal, which can be accessed by visiting www.consult.waveney.gov.uk

The new system will facilitate improved communication between the council and those offering views and opinions on future development in the district and its supporting policies. It makes it quicker and easier to respond to consultations using interactive documents, forums and questionnaires. Analysis of responses will also be faster and more accessible, thus reducing the amount of time and resources it takes to provide feedback and produce documents.

Users can register on the system to take part in the latest consultations and receive feedback, details of the outcomes and notification of future requests for views. The new technology enables easy navigation of large, lengthy documents, so that users can comment on the sections that are of particular interest to them.

Once comments are made, they are stored on the system so users can call up their submissions and edit them, should they need to. Then, when a consultation closes, comments can be made available for public viewing quickly and easily as there is no need for officers to manually record submissions, speeding the whole process up and using less paper.

Councillor David Ritchie, Chair of the Local Development Framework Working Group said: 'We felt that this new system would be a perfect way of improving two-way communication. Over 30 percent of respondents to our surveys and consultations use online questionnaires or emails, so it made sense to make the whole process more interactive.

'A key feature is that we will be able to provide easily accessible feedback to those who have submitted comments, acknowledging their views, confirming that we have listened and showing them if, as a result, we have made any amendments to our documents or policies.

'This is a fantastic tool, that has real potential and we would like to encourage people to visit the site and take a look at its features. Its first real trial will be a forthcoming consultation asking for views on the policies that help us make decisions on planning applications. So, have your say by registering at www.consult.waveney.gov.uk.'