KSAMC rings more approvals changes
Published:Wednesday | February 9, 2022 | 12:10 AM
The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) has announced more tweaks to proposed administrative changes in the building application process that will see greater efforts in the cross-checking of approved construction projects.
Speaking at the corporation’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, Kingston Mayor Delroy Williams announced that the new recommendations would be adopted by the building committee as the KSAMC pushes for greater transparency and accountability.
Among the recommendations, Williams said, is that the chairman of the building committee provide a full list of approved developments at its sittings to confirm application approvals and rejections.
The chief engineering officer has been mandated to first advise the chief executive officer of those decisions.
“Those should be written and should come from two persons, from the chief engineering officer and when it has to do with planning, and when we have granted a planning permission that he would also receive that from the director of planning,” Williams said.
“Those are some minor administrative changes that are proposed to assist us in cross-checking and assist us also in greater transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the process. We hope that that will be implemented.”
The reforms of the building and planning committee’s approval process follow a string of damning Supreme Court rulings in recent months alleging deficits in the KSAMC’s inspection regime.
At the last council meeting in January, the mayor signalled impending changes.
Williams, at Tuesday’s meeting, indicated that some recommendations have already been actioned.
“The report on construction across the municipality has been handed to the town clerk as we signalled as part of our new measures in treating with construction across the municipality,” said the mayor.
The chief engineering officer has handed that report for the period ending January 31, 2022, to the chief executive officer. The report will be made available after review.
Another report is expected at the end of February.