CABINET APPROVES DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS APPROVAL PROCESS PROCEDURES MANUAL AND WORK FLOW CHARTS

JULY 15, 2010

CABINET APPROVES DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS APPROVAL PROCESS PROCEDURES MANUAL AND WORK FLOW CHARTS....will ensure quicker response to   all applications:

Minister with responsibility for Information, Daryl Vaz  has announced Cabinet's approval for the Development Applications Approvals Process (DAP) ‘Flow Charts' and the Procedures manual,  for all profile of applications in the Business process. This approval will ensure a much quicker turn around response time to all applications.

Making the announcement at this morning's post cabinet press conference at Jamaica House, Mr. Vaz explained that this manual is a specific requirement of the ‘Simplification of the Business Process under the Government of Jamaica/European Union (GOJ-EU) Co-operation Agreement.

The application profiles and flow charts contained in the Procedures Manual include sub-division applications of 9 lots and under, or 5 hectares and under, to meet an approval timeline of 70-days; sub-division of 10 lots and over to meet timelines of 90 days; building applications of 300 square metres or less in a timeline of 35 days and the pre-consultation process for the Development Assistance Centre. (DAC)

The Procedures Manual and Work Flow Charts is one of a number of projects under the DAP. The DAP projects are being implemented under the Cabinet Office Modernization programme in partnership with the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce Legislation and Regulations Committee in collaboration with  National  Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), Local Government Department and the Planning and Development Division of the Office of the Prime Minister and other local planning authorities. The previous system was reported to be lengthy, unwieldy and inefficient, resulting in loss of major foreign direct investments to other countries and retarding the domestic economy because of the slow pace of approvals.

Mr. Vaz noted that the GOJ/EU Cooperation programme is one of many initiatives which have been undertaken to address the approval process in order to achieve orderly and sustainable development.