Swifter processing & approvals with new Planning Authority Board- Hon Fahie
As such, a New Planning Authority board has been appointed earlier in the year to push and assist the government’s mandate and the Premier In a Monday, November 11, 2019, statement release via social media says the new board has already ‘hit the ground running,’ with energy and enthusiasm to regulate development.
New Board already working – Premier Fahie
According to the Post Cabinet statements of July 26, 2019, “Approved the appointments of the following persons to the Planning Authority for a period of three years from 1st July, 2019: Messrs. Charles L. Cooper (Chairman and Member), Edward Freeman, and Keith Malone; and for two years from 1st July, 2019: Messrs Lucien Thomas and Clifton Thomas as members.”
The Chief Planner, Director of Public Works, Director of Disaster Management and the Chief Conservation and Fisheries Officer are ex-officio members and while not mentioned in the original cabinet statements, Premier Fahie also named Elvis J. Harrigan aka ‘Juggy’ as a member of the board.
“When the new board met, they met 57 applications which included subdivisions and development. For three consecutive weeks, they met and the applications were thoroughly deliberated and the necessary approvals were derived in three short weeks to clear this backlog of applications,” he said.
According to Hon Fahie, the board will also be meeting at a minimum of twice monthly—instead of once—to ensure that applications for construction and development have been disposed of in a timelier manner.
The premier also noted it is good news not just for industry beneficiaries but for investors and the economy.
Boosting the Local Economy
Further, according to the Leader of Government Business, “Swifter processing of applications and approvals will result in a direct boost to our local economy, it means construction projects will be able to move to execution phase faster, creating faster turnarounds so that professionals can move from one job to another more quickly.”
He said speeding up of projects life cycles will also benefit suppliers of materials, which will result in the turnover of stocks more rapidly.
“In the case of commercial properties, it means returning to service sooner, bringing revenues for owners and employment opportunities for workers and consequently providing income to families," he said.
According to the Premier, the board and its new mandate will fully throttle the economy along the development agenda, “going full throttle means reaching levels of performance in achievement far beyond what we have ever seen,” he said in noting that the VI must not build for today, but for the future as well.
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