make it public!

THE time has come for there to be transparency in the midst of transactions taking place at the Town and Country Planning, including decisions being made by the Minister in charge of that department.

This point was raised by Kim Penfold, of Penfold Associates, as he delivered remarks at the Stakeholder Consultation-Reform of the Town and Country Planning Act Cap.240, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

In attendance was Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.

“Every planning application that is received should be publicly available for people to see. The fact that you received an application for housing, where it is, who has applied, and when it was received should be published, and it should be put on the website so people know what is coming. And if it is a public issue, the public could comment on it. In Barbados, we don’t have this planning system in place,” he said.

Penfold, who highlighted delay and secrecy as two of the fundamental problems, indicated that the latter destroys confidence and trust, raises suspicions of corruption, and deters investment.

“So these hearings take place in private, but they should take place in public. And, when the Minister in charge of the Department makes a decision, the Minister should make the reasons public as well,” Penfold said.

Meanwhile, former Chief Town Planner Mark Cummins, who participated in the Consultation, indicated that about four years ago, a document had been prepared suggesting guidelines to ensure there is no secrecy at the Department.

However, Cummins said while that document which was prepared by consultants was submitted to the Minister in charge of Town & Country Planning at the time, regrettably it has not come to the fore.

“When I inquired about it, I used to hear that it has to go to the architects for consultation, and it has to go to the engineers. But the problem is that we need to remove that secrecy, especially as it relates to the exchange of information between both parties.

“I have said this last week, and I will say it again. The Chief Town Planner does not see the chairperson’s report. When those things come out, and [are] available to the public, people begin to feel more comfortable.

“The whole question of fairness and removing that veil of secrecy has to be done. And that can be done next week Prime Minister because the documentation is definitely there and it was very well prepared,” Cummins said.

As she has stressed before, Prime Minister Mottley assured that in all things she is going to be transparent. (AH)

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