The Central Building Authority has stripped the San Pedro Building Unit of its power to approve construction plans on the island. The Authority is accusing the unit of repeatedly breaking Belize’s Building Act. Chief Engineer Evondale Moody says warnings and visits went unheeded. Meanwhile, the San Pedro Town Council is demanding evidence, and for now, island residents must seek building approvals directly from the Authority. Here is News Five’s Paul Lopez with more details.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
The Central Building Authority (CBA) is accusing the San Pedro Building Unit of breaking the rules and regulations of the Building Act.
Evondale Moody
Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH
“As the lead engineer for the development of the Building Code in Belize, that is a stringent document that has to be implemented, which is this document I have here. This has been tabled in the House, it has been passed and it is now being tabled country wide.”
Chief Engineer Evondale Moody says the CBA entered into an agreement with the San Pedro Town Council to decentralize its operations. The unit is run by a technical manager who reports back to the CBA.
Evondale Moody
“The building unit has not been following through with the rules and regulations of the Building Act and what is required by CBA for the approval of plans within that municipality. The Building Unit are authorized to approve plans up to five thousand square feet. And we have been observing from time to time that this has been ignored and it continues to happen even after discussions with the Building Unit and even after we have visited with the municipality through CBA for us to advice them of these discrepancies we have seen.”
The CBA says those discrepancies led it to decertify the San Pedro Building Unit, which can no longer issue building permits or approvals. The San Pedro Town Council is questioning whether the move is justified. In a statement, the council says it has formally asked the CBA for clarification and supporting documents, including the audit report and recommendation behind the decision. The council also says it has taken steps to strengthen its operations.
Evondale Moody
“As the Central Building Authority we are open to discussion with the Town Council with respect to what is required for them to fall in line with the rules and regulations. So, whatever it takes to do that, we will do that to ensure that the building unit is established back as soon as we can. However, it is more of a technical matter that we have to address.”
Interestingly, the Central Building Authority has had to replace three technical managers at the very unit because of the very same inconsistencies. Moody says Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing Julius Espat wants operations conducted above board. The San Pedro Town Council says it values its relationship with the CBA and remains committed to resolving the matte
Evondale Moody
“With the leader we have in terms of Julius Espat, we know how he goes. We have to ensure that things fall in place in terms of what has to be done. We try not to stray away from that, because we want to ensure that everything is done above board.”
In the meantime, anyone seeking a building permit or approval on the island must go directly through the CBA. Moody says the CBA may also look into permits and approvals the San Pedro Building Unit has already granted. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
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