“Only projects that need no environmental impact assessment (EIA) will be assessed and approved in 90 days or less”. That’s the word emanating from the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), as it broke its silence publicly on the controversial issue of a 90-day approval process mooted by Prime Minister Bruce Golding. Speaking at a Gleaner’s Editors Forum on Tuesday, March 18, 2008, NEPA’s Public Education Manager Natalie Fearon, reportedly advised that: "What we have done is create a two-tier system to see what we can get done, in 30 days and under, and what else can be done using another channel. So I think it is a matter of working smarter and being realistic about what can be done in a specific time”.
This new Government position was also echoed on Friday March 14, 2008 by Minister of Housing and Water, Dr Horace Chang, who advised that the Government of Jamaica was committed to reducing the timeline for residential approvals to no more than 90 days. Speaking at the official launch of the Meadows of Irwin Housing Development in Montego Bay, Dr Chang advised "We want to make the planning approval process, especially for residential areas, within 90 days,"
This is in stark contrast to the stated position of Prime Minister Golding, who in response to complaints about long delays in the approval of development projects, sought to impose a 90 day timeline for the regulatory agencies to make a final determination. Indeed, Mr Golding at that time further advised that if potential developers were not in receipt of a response from the regulatory agencies within the 90-day deadline, they were to treat the applications as being approved and commence development. However this newly softened position comes on the heels of widespread criticism by the Environmental Lobby, various Community Based Organizations (CBO’s) and the more muted sounds of disagreement from the local authorities on the inherent dangers in the accelerating of the general approval process to 90 days or less. This, as there have been widespread concerns about the fate of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA’s), required particularly for large projects, in the new dispensation. It is generally accepted globally, that EIA's usually take 6 months to 2 years to complete and are particularly germane in a process of determining the potential threats to the environment of development projects.
However, though deemed generally by its detractors to be a step in the right direction, the position being articulated by Dr Chang and echoed by NEPA, does not address the largely discretionary powers of NEPA to determine which projects require an EIA. Further, there is no stipulation in law which requires that all projects require an EIA, nor are there any clear guidelines regarding the types of projects requiring an EIA Also, there is still no discernible action geared to improve the degree of public consultation as it relates to development projects, as the Golding regime while seeking inputs from architects and urban planners, have noticeably excluded any involvement of Community Based Organizations in terms of the long term planning for the Kingston. This has been exacerbated in recent times by a unilateral decision making process which has led to alterations of density ratios and setback distances particularly in Kingston and St Andrew to ridiculous levels, while ignoring the widespread objections and concerns of the citizenry.
This new Government position was also echoed on Friday March 14, 2008 by Minister of Housing and Water, Dr Horace Chang, who advised that the Government of Jamaica was committed to reducing the timeline for residential approvals to no more than 90 days. Speaking at the official launch of the Meadows of Irwin Housing Development in Montego Bay, Dr Chang advised "We want to make the planning approval process, especially for residential areas, within 90 days,"
This is in stark contrast to the stated position of Prime Minister Golding, who in response to complaints about long delays in the approval of development projects, sought to impose a 90 day timeline for the regulatory agencies to make a final determination. Indeed, Mr Golding at that time further advised that if potential developers were not in receipt of a response from the regulatory agencies within the 90-day deadline, they were to treat the applications as being approved and commence development. However this newly softened position comes on the heels of widespread criticism by the Environmental Lobby, various Community Based Organizations (CBO’s) and the more muted sounds of disagreement from the local authorities on the inherent dangers in the accelerating of the general approval process to 90 days or less. This, as there have been widespread concerns about the fate of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA’s), required particularly for large projects, in the new dispensation. It is generally accepted globally, that EIA's usually take 6 months to 2 years to complete and are particularly germane in a process of determining the potential threats to the environment of development projects.
However, though deemed generally by its detractors to be a step in the right direction, the position being articulated by Dr Chang and echoed by NEPA, does not address the largely discretionary powers of NEPA to determine which projects require an EIA. Further, there is no stipulation in law which requires that all projects require an EIA, nor are there any clear guidelines regarding the types of projects requiring an EIA Also, there is still no discernible action geared to improve the degree of public consultation as it relates to development projects, as the Golding regime while seeking inputs from architects and urban planners, have noticeably excluded any involvement of Community Based Organizations in terms of the long term planning for the Kingston. This has been exacerbated in recent times by a unilateral decision making process which has led to alterations of density ratios and setback distances particularly in Kingston and St Andrew to ridiculous levels, while ignoring the widespread objections and concerns of the citizenry.
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1 comment:
Could we get a Jamaican picture at the top? As far as I know, there are no snowy mountains in Trafalgar Park!
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