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August 2023 update
As of 31 July 2023, NSW LRS Connect will replace ePlan for all plan lodgment services. This is major milestone for the Digital Survey Plans Program and is a step towards completing the first of three components of the reform in move to an online plan creation to registration process, with the following the following actions from the Delivery Plan being either completely or partially achieved:
- Provide facility for Registered Surveyors to digitally certify and recertify their plans online
- Provide the capability for surveyors to securely provide access to their Surveyor Certified Plans and associated documents with consenting parties and others as required
- Develop alternative digital lodgment channel to replace the submission of plans at the NSW LRS lodgment office
To assist with the transition, NSW LRS have conducted webinars for both Registered Surveyors and other users with recordings of the sessions available on the NSW LRS website. In addition, NSW LRS have tutorials and documentation in the help area of the new portal.
August 2021 update
Our efforts to transition to a fully digital land titles system in NSW continue, and many of you will have seen the recent announcements regarding the cancellation of paper Certificates of Title and final mandates for achieving 100% eConveyancing coming into effect on 11 October 2021.
The digital plans reform is also progressing well with the release of a discussion paper to facilitate further consultation on the reform in more detail. Following a six-week consultation period, the NSW Government will review all submissions and consider the required legislative changes to transition to 100% digital survey plans.
Once again, thank you to all the industry groups, stakeholders and their representatives on the consultative committee and surveyor working group who have helped guide this reform and continue to contribute to the transition to digital survey plans.
Discussion paper released – responses due 30 September 2021
Your feedback is needed! A discussion paper has been released on the NSW Government’s 'Have Your Say' website, outlining proposed changes required to transition from paper to digital survey plans in NSW.
Discussion paper - Transitioning from paper to digital survey plans
The proposed changes will involve many industry professionals and other stakeholders who interact with NSW deposited and strata plans. The proposed changes include:
- new online services to make it easier for surveyors to prepare digital survey plans and associated documents, while reducing the risk of errors
- establishing a single point of truth for surveyor certified plans, ensuring all contributing, reviewing and consenting parties have access to the same information
- moving to 100% online lodgment of plans
- linking up NSW Land Registry Services (LRS) Connect and the NSW Planning Portal to streamline the subdivision and strata certificate application process
- introduction of simplified Lot Diagrams to make it easier for non-surveyors to interpret property boundary information
- a new digital plan examination process and a framework for digital survey plan data to be considered the legal point of truth.
The proposed changes are significant and will involve modernising most stages of the plan creation to registration process.
Your input is needed to ensure the transition to digital plans is a success. Submissions can be made either by email, post or using the online survey on the Have Your Say website.
If you have any questions on the discussion paper, please email [email protected].
Digital survey plans on the road and NSW LRS Connect
Earlier this year, prior to the latest COVID-19 outbreak, Narelle Underwood, Surveyor General, and Daniel Griffin, Digital Plans Manager at NSW LRS, participated in the Association of Consulting Surveyors NSW roadshow. The roadshow visited six locations across NSW and included a demonstration session of new digital plan services now available to Registered Surveyors through NSW LRS Connect. We have also presented to the Institution of Surveyors NSW Sydney North Group, and although further presentations to industry are planned, some have had to be postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. We will continue to work with industry bodies to provide opportunities for engagement. More services will be progressively added to NSW LRS Connect and migrated across from NSW LRS Online (including the ePlan lodgment portal).
Registered Surveyors can create plan workspaces and online form builders for DP administration sheets, SP administration sheets and Section 88B Instruments via NSW LRS Connect.
Daniel Griffin presenting on Digital Survey Plans during the ACS NSW roadshow.
Over 50% of deposited plan examinations now using digital survey plans
Amendments of recently registered plans are being reduced by up to 50% when digital survey plans are used to support plan examination. The capture at lodgement collaboration between the Department of Customer Service (DCS) Spatial Services and NSW LRS means mathematical errors in plans are more likely to be identified prior to registration, avoiding costs and delays associated with plan amendment.
Further expansion of the project is planned to increase the number of digital survey plans available at plan examination to as close to 100% as possible.
Use of digital survey plans to support examination of lodged Deposited Plans.
Electronic signature (COVID-19) provisions extended until the end of 2021
Many of you will already be aware that temporary provisions to the Lodgment Rules have been extended to allow for electronic signatures until the end of 2021. The discussion paper mentioned above includes some commentary on the provisions and seeks input for how well they have been working and what changes might be required to introduce more permanent changes.
Given the strong stakeholder support we’re received for the temporary provisions, we would like to ensure they continue with the appropriate protections in place.
Guidance note on executing NSW plans during COVID-19 restrictions
LandXML channel Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) now available
To assist industry in utilising and benefitting from digital survey plans, frequently asked LandXML questions and answers have been added to the NSW LRS Help Hub. Since the release of the ‘LandXML Channel’ surveyors and other users of plans have been able to access LandXML files, where one exists, at no additional cost with the purchase of the corresponding registered plan image. Approximately 10,000 files are currently being downloaded per month.
The NSW LRS Help Hub FAQs include important information on how files were created, how to check LandXML files for errors, reporting errors found in LandXML files and best practice methods for importing LandXML files into calculation software.
Feedback
Please direct any questions or feedback to the Digital Survey Plans Program. We are keen to hear your views on how we’re tracking and any concerns you may have.
Kind Regards,
Jeremy Cox, Registrar General, Narelle Underwood, Surveyor General, Adam Bennett, CEO, NSW Land Registry Services