Plans Information Paper 2/2014: Duplicate Plans & Miscellaneous Information on the DMS/OPS Tool

It has come to the PWG’s attention that a number of plans officers are using the enlargement window layers on the DMS to store references, construction detail, ad hoc information, etc., on authorised titles where the enlargement boxes have not been used on the Title Plan. Whilst this additional information does not appear on the Title Plan layer when viewed by our customers on RD, it does create problems for plans staff when using the duplicate plan function.

The duplicate title function copies all information from a selected Title Plan to the new title, including enlargement(s) and any assigned Supplementary Plans (both SPL and scanned images). Therefore any ad hoc information on the enlargement layer, even if the enlargement has not been activated on the Title Plan, will also be copied through to the new title as all information in the authorised title is saved at the point of authorisation. Information that does not form part of the Title Plan at the time of authorisation may also cause issues when migrating data onto any new mapping system.

Use of the clipboard/enlargement layers for the preparation of the Title Plan prior to authorisation is not in itself an issue, as it can be a useful tool to show specific references for an area that you wish to highlight to an Agent in a letter or for creating ad hoc prints. However any information that does not form part of the final version of the Title Plan should be deleted prior to authorisation.

It is permissible to retain construction elements on the Title Plan, such as those created by the ray, parallel, perpendicular and circle functions on the DMS, but these should be checked to ensure that the set extent button has not been selected inadvertently for such detail, although many officers prefer to delete such information from the final Title Plan.

Ultimately the officer authorising any application for registration is responsible for the accuracy and quality of the title, regardless of the fact that they may have duplicated or copied a prior title. The authorising officer must therefore check that the title has been mapped correctly, including vector perfect mapping, has any relevant supplementary plans assigned and that the title plan does not include any additional information, including on the enlargement layers, that is not relevant to the title. This is a data quality matter and any application that is found to include such additional information will fail the quality check and be returned to the settler for amendment.

If it is considered beneficial to retain plans references, construction detail or ad hoc information that is not required as part of the Title Plan itself, then consideration should be given to the creation of a BUF on the Index layer under the Title Number for the application. Graphical information can be copied to the BUF Index from the clipboard and retained for future reference.

Please note however that where a BUF is created on the DMS, the case notes must be updated to include an explanation for the BUF and the references depicted thereon. It should also be signed and dated by the plans officer. This will enable anyone looking at the file in the future to make sense of the information contained therein.

Registration/Plans
24 April 2014