The main results of the ACCORD survey of potential scenarios for the digitisation of building permits show that partial or full automation is possible within the next 10 years. The preference is to maintain human oversight whatever the level of automation achieved in the process.
The main desired outcomes of digitalising and automating the planning permission procedure are time savings, greater certainty, cost savings, awareness of compliance during the design process, and auditability.
The main obstacles to be overcome in implementing digital permitting are the differences in processes between jurisdictions and countries, the lack of digital skills among regulators, the lack of software tools, and the absence of standard specifications for design documentation.
Finally, the main requirements are standardisation of the submission process, the ability to link BIM to GIS, an intuitive and user-friendly interface, extensive training and support, open access to high-level results data, and simple and clear processes.
