(Stock Photo)

Persons applying to the Town and Country Development Planning Office for planning permission will soon be required to submit electronic applications.

This disclosure has come from acting Chief Town Planner, George Browne, who said that from Monday, February 11, members of the public would be required to submit four hard copies of the plans, as well as the application on CD or DVD ROM to the Department’s reception, at Warrens Office Complex, Warrens, St. Michael.

Mr. Browne explained that the electronic drawings, which should only be in PDF format, would be copied by an officer at Town Planning, and the CD or DVD immediately returned to the applicant.

He continued: “With regard to the drawings, the applicants will be required to leave a space measuring three inches by three inches at the top left hand corner of each drawing sheet for affixation of the Town Planning stamp. Applicants are also required to submit the geographical coordinates of the site on the location plans.”

According to the acting Chief Town Planner, the E-Planning system, which is a development control and enforcement management system, was implemented to improve efficiencies in the department.

“This change is to improve the efficiency and management of the office.  We have already put some measures in place which have reduced the processing time by eight to 10 days, and we believe that this new initiative will further decrease the wait by applicants.

“Another feature of this system is that there is a change in the consultation process with those agencies which we consult and we will now be submitting the application to these agencies electronically,” he said.

Mr. Browne noted that Town Planning has undertaken a training exercise for the agencies it works with.  He said some employees from the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance, the Environmental Protection Department, the Coastal Zone Management Unit, the Barbados Fire Service, Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and the Barbados Water Authority have already been trained.

sharon.austingill-moore@barbados.gov.bb

Pin It on Pinterest