“It’s Clearly Unclear”. When that malapropism was first coined In Jamaica a few years ago, its architect was the subject of much public derision. However, nowadays there seems to be no more appropriate phrasing to characterize this notion of the proposed 90-day development approval process. Indeed over the past few months, there have been conflicting comments regarding this process from the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Minister of Water and Housing Dr Horace Chang. However given the recent streamlining process of placing NEPA under the Office of the Prime Minister as well as the National Land Agency, there is clearly a renewed effort at facilitating this process.
This is in fact in keeping with 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 there continues to 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. This as it is generally accepted globally, that an EIA usually takes 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.
This is in fact in keeping with 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 there continues to 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. This as it is generally accepted globally, that an EIA usually takes 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, with NEPA intoning that “Only projects that need no environmental impact assessment (EIA) will be assessed and approved in 90 days or less”, the first sign of the uncoordinated strategy was revealed. This was compounded by Dr Horace Chang unequivocally stating that "We want to make the planning approval process, especially for residential areas, within 90 days’. However, the issue degenerated into absolute confusion when Prime Minister Bruce Golding opined, that Jamaica cannot remain underdeveloped solely to preserve the environment. Indeed, Mr Golding has been recently buoyed by the fact that for the period October 1 to November 23, 2007, the controversial National Environment and Planning Agency, “completed the approvals for 78 percent of the applications received proving that efficiencies can be achieved”. However by the Prime Minister’s own admission in Jamaica “very often there is no correlation between what is approved and what is built.” This therefore begs the question, regarding what exactly is to be accelerated during this proposed 90-day time interval? “It’s clearly unclear.’
1 comment:
The environmentalists and most people can see the inherent danger in this strategy, what is wrong with the Govt.? Are they blind or just drunk with power?
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