Minister Spencer Promises Faster Response to Development Plans

The government is putting the necessary measures in place to facilitate a faster response time to development plans submitted to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA).
Health and Environment Minister, Rudyard Spencer, said that these measures, which will drive the initiative to give developers a response to their application within 90 days, will include the setting up of a “one-stop agency where NEPA and all the relevant players and board members involved in the decision making process will be in one place”.
Mr. Spencer, who was speaking at the opening of a two-day strategic planning retreat for agencies and department under the Ministry held at the Caymanas Golf and Country Club in St. Catherine, said that the country cannot afford to have developmental plans taking between six months up to a year and a half to receive approval from NEPA.
“We must ensure that once you bring your plan in for approval, within three months of delivery, you must be given an answer, whether you have more things to do or we’re looking over it and it’s going to take another two weeks or three months, but within three months, there has to be a response to the developer,” he stated.
The Minister stated that failure to comply will see the developer being authorized to proceed with the development.