BY NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
GOVERNMENT is acting on poor advice and setting a terrible precedent over its decision not to demolish some shanty town buildings simply because they are up to code, Bahamian architects have warned, telling Tribune Business that all developments should first receive the necessary permits and follow the requisite proceedures.
Gustavus Ferguson, president of the Institute of Bahamian Architects (IBA) told Tribune Business that government was receiving “poor advice” and the IBA was strongly opposed to such action as it believes in town planning.
Mr Ferguson said such action effectively sanctions unregulated development and suggests that people can build without going through the proper channels, then wait to be told if their structure is up to code.
“The policy is that you have to apply for a permit before you can begin any development, before any building can be built. You have to get permission to build a specific type of building in a specific area. What has happened with the shanty towns - what we consider to be informal settlements - people have just been building on properties and eventually live there. Over time, they just grew in terms of occupants beyond that of any normal development,” said Mr Ferguson.
Labour Minister Dion Foulkes who heads the government’s shanty town committee said last week that parts of two shanty towns in New Providence will escape the government’s demolition exercises this month because of the code worthiness of its buildings. Altogether nearly 30 buildings in the All Saints Way shanty town off Golden Isles Road and the Bedrock shanty town east of Bacardi Road will not be demolished. Mr Foulkes said the government is considering options for regulating the communities whose homes won’t be bulldozed.
The issue prompted the IBA to issue a press release over the weekend, arguing it is impossible for homes to be safe in shanty towns where there were not proper planning approvals to grant building permits.
“What we are saying is that we are going to advise our clients to forego all the permit processes, just build and allow them to come and say whether our buildings are structurally sound or not. That is the precedent being set here,” said Mr Ferguson.
“What they are saying is you can build and we are going to come after the fact to check and see if it is sound. If is is sound it will be allowed to remain. If that was to happen with any of the development companies right now a notice to cease and desist would be issued immediately and likely legal action. We don’t support that because we believe in town planning. There are just so any factors that contribute to what should be built in any given area.”
He added: “We have submitted procedures and policies to the ministry in terms of town planning but up to this point they have not listened to us. This is just an example of when you have poor advice and you don’t have the right personnel in position. Until we get serious about planning we will always have these illegal settlements, these unplanned areas and ad hoc type of developments.”
Comments
birdiestrachan 5 years, 8 months ago
The shanty town residents have organized. They claim BAINS Town have shanty homes Those homes in Bains Town go back to many generations before many from the shanty towns came to the Bahamas.
Persons who live near to shanty town are silent. So it must be all right with them Note Lawyers and Judges do not live near to shanty towns so they may not understand what it is like.
There should be building codes for all. and not for some.
bogart 5 years, 8 months ago
Architects have the final word........on their line of expertise..... Dese structures should not be allowed to stand even if deys looks good to the people passing by.....evens to da people living in dem......unless it can be verified wid da Community planning.bestest..land usage ..zoning.....we must also looks at the terrain...deys likes to build on cheaplands dat floods...how did they build the foundation....does da area have cavities under it..spring...etc comstant issue are dey building homes dat are next to homes zoned for larger sq footage...more restrictive covenants.?.more exclusive rxpemsive.....that will reduce values...???...if deys didnt builds by law whichinin....has da best advice from engineers, architects...whose livilhood...depends on dis.....den it has to be demolished...after hurricane I jus aint wants all my taxpaying...Utility services...helps an ting spending all da time on hoouses built illegally ...an we who follow da laws has to waitin...fer helps...hurricanes gettin plentiful an we should be gettin stricter....not looser wid da buildon laws
EasternGate 5 years, 8 months ago
Slick ass Bahamians have for many years knowingly built stone structures on Crown Land, because wimpy politicians pretend they were not aware. If the government would have the balls to demolish just one, the suckers would keep of government land!
mandela 5 years, 8 months ago
Anything goes in a country where you can enter illegally and become legal,how do they know these buildings are up to code?, did they look into the belt course to see that the appropriate steel are there, did they do the same for the columns and corners, and that the right amount of columns are there, that the proper footing for the structure is there,MY, MY, they are now reviewing to change the real property taxes for Lyford cay residents, the Pointe has 30 to one in favor of non Bahamians, they are reviewing the shantytown situation and back pedaling, it's surely the people's time, the big question which people, i sincerely believe this government has no LOVE for the Bahamian populace, they said under NO circumstance would they review the 12% VAT for us, they said under NO circumstance would they review what they are doing in the gaming section,( Bahamian owned ). In other words they are plain out flat saying "you hard working BAHAMIANS, you honest BAHAMIANS, MY BAHAMIANS MY PEOPLE, F%$K you and what you want, But i say to them TIME LONGER THAN ROPE for at the pace they are going they will surely HANG THEMSELVES. AMEN.
bogart 5 years, 8 months ago
Wimpy may be too harsh a word.....as many of the shantytown occupants were legally employed ....and actually the majority who paid legal work permit fees seems to have been a major revenue earning source for the govt who knew their addresses.....complicit ...may seem to be a better term...lol
bogart 5 years, 8 months ago
Mandela you knows whats going on in construction.....plus jus lookin at pictures yinna can see plenty wrong. FARMLAND ZONING IS FER FARMIN...RAISIN PIGS COWS, SHEEPS, DAT DOES A LOT OF POOPIN.....FARMININ..USES CHEMICALS....FERTILIZERS, WEED KILLER.....PESTICIDES....There is a reason why residential houses without govt water supply are not built next to da piggery..every farmer knows dis.....dere is rules on how far da cesspit is from da well...common sense....or use rainwater tank....so far aints no shanty house in picture hav no guttering to catch rainwater....no matter how good da house look....GOVT.....needs to enforce dese zoning or implements it like how Freeport is laid out.... The Haitian diplomat who been crying out for the shantytown people needs to opens his embassy an yard space and starts puttin them up where they can be safe at least for now.
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