The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

A CABINET minister says the Davis administration is moving to digitise its building approval process, replacing paper-based applications with an online system that will allow homeowners and contractors to track their submissions in real time.

Clay Sweeting, minister of works and Family Island affairs, announced the initiative in Parliament by describing it as part of a broader effort to modernise the ministry and improve customer service.

Mr Sweeting said the new system is intended to eliminate one of the most frustrating aspects of dealing with the Ministry of Works by allowing applicants to submit building plans online, monitor their progress at every stage and receive decisions within a published timeframe. "Applications will now be moving online, where a homeowner or contractor can submit plans, track them at every stage and get a decision inside a clear published timeline," he said.

The minister added that the reform will be particularly beneficial for Family Island residents, noting that applications for buildings larger than 3,000 square feet currently must be sent to New Providence for approval.

"When you apply for a building plan over 3,000 square feet, they have to send that building plan from Mayaguana or Inagua all the way to New Providence," said Mr Sweeting. "That has meant weeks of silence and no way to know who is holding up your file. That ends.”

Mr Sweeting said the digital platform is part of a wider transformation of the ministry, which he said has long been associated with bureaucracy and delays.

"I want it known for something else entirely - a modern, digital, responsive institution that treats every Bahamian like a citizen who deserves a straight answer, and a quick one," he added.

In addition to digitising building plan approvals, Mr Sweeting said the ministry plans to strengthen local government by providing Family Island administrators and local councils with additional training, resources and authority to make more decisions within their own communities rather than relying on approvals from Nassau.

He said the Government intends to prioritise infrastructure projects based on urgency.

And the Government  intends to ensure work committed for the fiscal year is completed on schedule while continuing to use Bahamian contractors, engineers and labour wherever possible.

"We are not announcing roads; we are paving them. We are not promising Family Island development, we are delivering it," said Mr Sweeting.