Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

COVID pushes Planning Department into ‘revolutionary’ e-services

COVID pushes Planning Department into ‘revolutionary’ e-services

The COVID-19 pandemic has assisted the Town & Country Planning Department in becoming almost completely contactless, with a number of e-services being implemented over the last few months.

Chief Planner Gregory Adams said when he arrived at the department nearly eight years ago, the agency was testing the application-tracking software needed to facilitate e-services.

That software is finally being used in a number of the department’s recently-implemented online services.

“We ran some data testing with it (the software) with a few architects and some surveyors just to make sure it worked and to get their feedback. It was well received but the only problem with it then was why would we submit electronically if we still have to walk in a cash or a cheque payment to you,” Adams explained during a live virtual forum on Tuesday night.

COVID kind of gave us that kick that forced us to make it happen … It really forced us in a direction that I think long term we’ll be glad that we’ve been gone to,” he added.

Online submission of documents and e-stamps


With the recent merging of Town & Country Planning, the Building Authority, and the Electrical Inspection Unit, Adams said the ability to submit documents online are among the new e-services being offered.

He said persons can submit their drawing applications and all other documents via email.

“We’ve even gone so far as to develop all of the manual stamps that we have. We’ve created electronic stamps that we can stamp the PDF drawings as well. So once we grant approval, we stamp the drawing electronically and email them back to the applicants,” he said.

“Even on the building inspection side, we have also transitioned all of their submittals to an electronic process, their stamping is done electronically as well. And yesterday for the first time, we’ve issued an electronic final inspection certificate for an electrical inspection,” Adams added.

E-payments


The Chief Planner also said e-payments are being prioritised. He said this has been the preferred option with a number of residents.

“Treasury has been gracious to the departments to allow us to accept credit card payments using the credit card authorisation form which we email to the applicants and they complete it. We give them the application fee so they can fill in all the relevant information, we process it and send them a receipt electronically,” he explained.

Positive feedback from the public


Meanwhile, Adams also said the e-service initiatives have been receiving a lot of positive reviews from members of the public.

“It’s been almost a dream where people have been saying to us. I can’t imagine what we have been doing before this — all the money that they would spend printing these huge sheets of stacks and stacks of paper. So it’s really in just a short space of time revolutionise the way we offer our services,” he stated.

The chief planner further said the department is making a few exceptions to accommodate in-person payments. He said the measure is to give persons enough time to adjust and get on board with the department’s transition.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×