ELECTRONIC LOCAL AUTHORITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

One of the most important functions of a local authority in Malaysia is development control under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1976 (Act 172) and the Street, Drainage and Building Act, 1974 (Act 133). With the powers under these acts, the local authority is responsible to ensure that any activity of development is carried out in an orderly manner so as not to cause immediate as well as long-term undesirable impacts on the neighbours, the surroundings and the environment. To do this the law requires that any person intending to carry out any development will need a planning permission and a building plan approval from the local authority. In giving such an approval the local authority has to check and ensure that the developer can and will carry out the development properly and according to a good set of by-laws, standards, regulations and guidelines drawn up to protect the safety, health and amenity of the people in the local authority area. However most local authorities, due to numerous valid reasons, have problems carrying out this task and are often accused of causing delays to the development process and hence to the economic progress of the country. Often, justly or unjustly, local authority officers and decision-makers have been branded as not transparent and corrupt for taking such a confusing and lengthy process in considering applications for development approval. Local authorities have hence an almost impossible task of protecting the environment and ensuring sustainable development and at the same time promoting further development and timely economic growth. In an attempt to overcome this problem the Municipal Council of Penang Island (MCPJ), with grants from the Development Application Grant Scheme (DAGS) of the National IT Council (NITC) of Malaysia, embarked on a project to develop an Electronic Local Authority Management System, or "eLAMS". This will assist in the day-to-day functions of processing and considering of applications for planning permission, building plans and earthworks plans, in accordance with a good quality management and environmental managen1ent system. This paper examines the problems of the development control process for sustainable development and the problems of adopting and adapting the electronic system faced by local authorities in Malaysia in general and the Municipal Council of Penang Island in particular. This paper will also outline the proposals to overcome these problems with eLAMS.