Transformation of Building Plans Submission
The Buildings Department launched Stages 1 and 2 of the Electronic Submission Hub (ESH) in June 2022 and March 2023 respectively to provide a one-stop e-platform, operating 24x7, for receiving and processing building plans, documents and applications submitted under the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123).
ESH signifies a digital transformation for the local building industry in respect of how building plans are submitted and processed over the conventional, paper-based mode of operation. It does more than simply providing an e-option for plans submission. With a wide range of value-added features, ESH helps streamline and enhance the efficiency and collaboration of the end-to-end plans submission and handling process, such as:
- Formation of project team with collaborative space and useful reference to prepare submissions
- Concurrent plan processing by different departments/ organisations under the centralised processing system (CPS) upon submission
- Real-time exchange between individual department/organisation and building professionals via a discussion forum
- Application progress tracking
- Notification and instant receipt of approval letters and approved building plans
Stage 3 of ESH (targeted to be rolled out in Q2 of 20251) is anticipated to deliver significant savings in time and cost for the industry, and contribute to a more environmentally-friendly society and a smarter city.
Hear what users and stakeholders say about ESH:
ESH has been well recognised by the industry and received a Merit Award under the Research and Innovation Category and two special awards, viz Sustainability Award and Value Enhancement Award of Building Surveyor Awards 20232 organised by the Building Surveying Division of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors. The awards are not only a recognition of the collaborated effort of BD and the building industry as well as other CPS participants but also the highlight of BD’s contribution to the promotion of digitalisation, sustainability and value enhancement for the building industry.
1 BD is striving to advance the launch of Stage 3 of ESH in view of its foreseeable benefits.
2 The website of Building Surveyor Awards 2023 is at https://www.hkis-bsa.com/
This streamlining measure under the Programme will bring improvements around the following areas:
"Streamlining of Government Services" Programme
Launched in 2019, the "Streamlining of Government Services" (SGS) Programme aims to improve government services involving applications and approvals through streamlining business processes and widening the adoption of technology on a continuous basis with a view to improving their convenience, efficiency and transparency.
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