‘A sore point’

KINGSTON Mayor Andrew Swaby says he will meet with a team of technical personnel today to strategise a plan geared towards tackling issues relating to building approvals and construction breaches within the Corporate Area.Swaby admitted that these issues have been a “sore point” for Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) for quite some time, and efforts are under way to ensure transparency and integrity in these processes.“Some of the plans, I’ve already made some announcements as to when we hear of any breaches that they are logged, they should be investigated and logged before the committee, and we should be kept informed as to the status of whatever the outcome of that is,” he told the Jamaica Observer on Saturday.“We want to make sure we maintain a transparent way of doing our business. It has been a sore point for us, I will admit that, and we have to see how we bring transparency to it,” he said.The mayor said that a bipartisan approach will be taken to address the issues, and by the September meeting of the council an announcement will be made.In recent times there have been numerous reports about construction breaches across the municipality, triggering anger among residents who say they are concerned about the effects of these breaches on their neighbourhoods.The most recent incident which made news headlines in July was the construction of a used car dealership at 11 Westlake Avenue in Richmond Park, St Andrew, that sparked protest from residents who argued that it was an invasion of their peaceful residential space.In a statement on the matter, Mayor Swaby said that a stop notice ordering an immediate cease and desist on all building work was served on Wednesday, July 31, 2024 and an investigation launched. Checks by KSAMC found that the developers had breached their approved plans, therefore the stop notice was ordered.In another incident, reported by the Observer in June, residents expressed concerns about what they believed were unauthorised building works in Mona Heights that led to the demolition of a house in the area. It was later revealed by KSAMC officials that no approval was given for demolition to take place, and a stop order was placed on the development.In another incident reported on by the Observer in May, frustrated Mona Heights residents demanded action from KSAMC to address what they described as chaotic building construction in their neighbourhood. The conversation was sparked by the construction of what appeared to be a third floor on a building in a residential area. The matter was investigated by the KSAMC and a stop order placed.Mayor Swaby, addressing the issues relating to breaches and approvals, said that staffing at the KSAMC is a major factor that hinders the corporation’s ability to survey developments.“Staffing is an issue. I think it is just about five or six building officers we have for [both] parishes, and we have started talking to our parent ministry about how to employ some more persons because we don’t have the luxury to just employ somebody like that,” the mayor explained.“We also have to look at the whole issue of the separation of duties. It can’t be a situation where the same person who is recommending for approval is the same person doing the enforcement, so we’re looking at that as well,” he added.Additionally, he said discussions are under way to have regular courses for staff members regarding the issue of ethics.Swaby said a public education campaign is also among the approaches the KSAMC is considering to deal with these matters.“One of the things that we need to do as a council is, we have to educate the [population] as to what are the measures that we can take. Sometimes persons just believe that we can just go and hit down a thing — that is not the situation in all cases. You have to think about the stop orders, and if they continue, you take them to court — and you know these things take time — so there also has to be a public education aspect of it,” he said.