NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The government is moving to reduce the building-plan approval process to 60 days as part of a broader overhaul of the Ministry of Works aimed at cutting red tape and accelerating development, Works and Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting said yesterday.
Speaking at the Abaco Business Outlook, Sweeting announced that the government intends to digitise building-plan applications, introduce published decision timelines and allow qualified private-sector architects and engineers to approve plans and conduct inspections.
The minister said the current process forces developers seeking to construct buildings exceeding 3,000 square feet in the Family Islands to send their plans to New Providence, often resulting in lengthy delays.
“You submit your plans. You wait. You call. You wait some more,” Sweeting said.
“And if you want to build anything over 3,000 square feet on the Family Islands, Abaco, your plans have to be sent to New Providence. And sometimes this means weeks of silence. That has to end.”
Sweeting said applicants will eventually be able to submit and monitor their plans online from anywhere in the country.
“We are taking the process online so you can submit your plans, whether you live in Marsh Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Cooper’s Town, Cherokee — anywhere in the Commonwealth,” he said.
“You can submit your plans online and track them at every stage and get a decision within a clear, published timeline.”
According to Sweeting, implementing the digital system will require legislative changes and the restructuring of a section of the Ministry of Works. He expressed hope that the revamped ministry would be in place by the next budget cycle.
“We’re looking at restructuring a portion so that, I would hope, by next budget cycle you will see a new, reimagined Ministry of Works to streamline this process,” he said.
Sweeting noted that ministry officials have visited the Cayman Islands to examine that jurisdiction’s fully digital approval system, elements of which the government hopes to introduce locally.
He suggested that a more efficient approvals process could increase economic output by between $400 million and $500 million while generating additional government revenue. However, he stressed that the immediate objective is to reduce the time applicants spend waiting for decisions.
“We only want to make sure that people affected by it benefit, to get their process down to 60 days from application,” Sweeting said.
The government also plans to establish an approved list of private-sector engineers and architects who will be authorised to sign off on building plans instead of applicants waiting for ministry professionals to complete the process.
“We are moving to allow qualified engineers and architects to provide third-party sign-offs,” Sweeting said.
“So that means that once you’re approved as an engineer or an architect from the Ministry of Works, you can have those sign-offs for your plans instead of waiting for an engineer or architect from the ministry to sign off.”
Approved professionals would also be permitted to conduct third-party inspections during construction. Sweeting maintained that the arrangement would not weaken building standards, noting that the ministry would conduct audits and take action where requirements are not met.
“This does not lower the bar,” he said. “The ministry will audit and act where standards are not met.”
Sweeting said the changes would give developers greater certainty, keep construction crews working and create additional opportunities for architects and engineers.
“For developers, that means you can predict when your plans will be approved because every month your project sits waiting, you are paying interest,” he said.
“For contractors, it means crews working instead of waiting. And then for architects and engineers, it means new work because the developer’s time should be spent building, not waiting.”
Sweeting also argued that Abaco’s continued development must be supported by adequate roads, ports, water and electricity infrastructure.
“The question now is: How do we make sure development doesn’t run ahead of the roads, the ports, the water and the power needed to sustain it?” he said.
“Government cannot answer alone. Neither can the private sector. Government and the private sector must work together.”
