Wednesday, December 30, 2009

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Subdivison Bill postponement is welcomed By INDERIA SAUNDERS ~ Guardian Business Reporter ~ Inderia@nasguard.com: President of the Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA) WIlliam Wong yesterday expressed relief that government opted to delay the reading of the Planning and Subdivision Bill, hoping to see more recommendations in the final version. "I am very glad that the government has taken the time to look at our recommendations and has withdrawn the bill for further consultation," he told Guardian Business. "I'm happy BREA would have paid a part in the bill being reconsidered now and hopefully the government will come back with recommendations we would have offered the government." His statement follows a decision in Parliament on Thursday to postpone the third reading of the Bill due to adjustments that have to be made. The Bill is expected to be presented again in January. By the time it is submitted, Wong said he hoped the Land Use policy already be implemented. His statement goes back to earlier concerns the association had with the bill in its current format, where it pointed specifically to the referral of the Land Use Plan included in the Bill. He took issue with its frequent mention, arguing there must first be a move to implement the policy before it can be applied so broadly in the subdivision bill. As he sees it, the details of the Subdivision Bill should not be centered around a Land Use policy that does not exist. The act seeks to improve the structure and administration of the Town Planning Committee and the Department of Physical Planning. Among other things, it would create more stringent guidelines for road creation and town planning and would require developers to have an environmental impact assessment (EIA) done before a development is brought before a special committee for approval. It's a step BREA and other organizations have argued will add further bureaucracy and time to development, and as a result, possibly hike construction costs upwards to 10 percent. However, Minister for the Environment Earl Deveaux, "the bill accommodates legitimate concerns of legitimate developers and responds to any number of environmental policy and development issues as a result of the comments we've received." Friday, December 10, 2009