KSAMC encourages persons to follow proper building procedures

The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation is strongly appealing to persons within the municipality to consult it before embarking on construction projects.

"We are saddened by the recent tragedy in the Stony Hill area, Bowden Hill specifically, where a house collapsed killing a two-month-old baby and displacing an entire family. We continue to encourage persons to get the necessary approval for constructions," said Delroy Williams, Kingston mayor.

"If you are putting up a one-bedroom or a kitchen, once you are constructing, seek advice. The municipality is always ready and waiting to give advice, and if you are not sure you can always come in and ask questions in respect to any construction activity that you are going to do," said Williams.

He stressed that the approval process is not just a process that gives the municipal corporation an opportunity to collect some fees.

"It's not that, the process is really about safety in a large way. It is to ensure that you are constructing and putting up a safe structure," Williams said, while admitting that the application process is not simple.

"For example, construction on slopes, that kind of approval would involve mines and geology [department] because they will test the soil and see what the soil type is and they will give advice in terms of the building or construction methods to be used in the type of soil in the area that you are constructing," Williams outlined.

Ashley-Ann Foster-Horne, managing director of ARC Properties Limited, agreed that while the process is stringent, in her capacity as a construction expert and a lawyer, it is best to follow it.

"It is always best to follow the advice of the council [municipal corporation]. The council has a governance job to do and the council advises stakeholders on best practices, so I would 100 per cent agree with the council," Foster-Horne said.

A resident of Central Kingston said his deteriorating home is "a disaster waiting to happen".

"I wasn't the one who build this house but if rain fall too hard, I know this place is done for. The people who build this house and most people think it's a political agenda to know who own what, but if I get to do it over, I would seek advice from developers," the resident told THE STAR.