Management Structures Under Building Act Operational

All management structures identified in the Building Act 2019 have been fully constituted and are now operational.

These are the Building Practitioners Board, Building Appeals Tribunal, and Building Advisory Council.

Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, made the disclosure during his 2019/20 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on May 28.

He said drafting of the supporting Regulations for the Act, which came into effect in January 2019, is advanced.

Meanwhile, Mr. McKenzie informed that the Ministry is partnering with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), World Bank and Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) to develop and implement a detailed training programme on the building codes for local government practitioners.

He further told the House that local authorities and partner agencies processed 3,925 development applications valued $58.3 billion during the first nine months of the 2018/19 fiscal year. He said some 3,089 or 88.5 per cent of these were approved within 90 days.

“The Economic Growth Council has identified the development approvals process as one of local government’s critical contributions to the growth agenda. Through the Building Act, the local authorities are managing a modern legislative instrument that will change the face of Jamaica while generating own-source revenue,” Mr. McKenzie said.