Stricter construction standards with penalties for violators coming
The Town and Country Planning Department will enforce stricter compliance with construction and development standards, introducing penalties to address breaches of the territory’s Planning Act.
During his recent Speech from the Throne, Governor Daniel Pruce highlighted persistent violations stemming from weak enforcement mechanisms. He said the TCPD has identified measures to prevent future breaches.
“Violations often arise from non-compliance with planning approvals, unauthorized alterations, or deviations from established guidelines,” Governor Pruce stated. “The Town and Country Planning Department has determined that the current legislative framework lacks the authority needed to take swift and decisive action against violators,” the Governor continued.
To address these challenges, the Governor announced that the department is prioritizing legislative amendments to enhance enforcement powers.
“The proposed amendments to the Physical Planning Act 2004will introduce a system of civil penalties, fines, and other enforcement mechanisms to address breaches promptly and effectively,” the Governor said.
Efforts to modernise construction and development oversight date back to 2018, with the introduction of the Architects and Engineers Registration Bill. This legislation was designed to govern architects and engineers, complementing a revised building code to enhance enforcement and strengthen the Physical Planning Act.
The current administration has indicated plans to reintroduce the Architects and Engineers Registration Bill for passage in 2025, signalling a continued commitment to improving the territory’s construction and development framework.
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Also address the crooked, upper-handedness some of these contractors show towards people. They overprice and charge, especially when they work for persons they feel don’t know the work, especially women.
More legislation which will never be enforced.
@Well
Thant’s why I have male relative/friend with me when I talk to them. They can explain it and make sure I’m not getting a six for a nine.
They steal your material and use on other jobs too. Some do not care, run women all day long and let some loosers put poor workmanship into your building. For God’s sake do not give them your money to spend, a stupid thing the banks once did which I do not even think is legal bc who borrows the money. Not the contractor, so why are they given the right to bad spend it and do not have to pay back. Bunch of crooks.
In addition to enforcing stricter construction and development standards, the Town and Country Planning Department needs to reject designs and developments that are totally at odds with aesthetics.
Goodness only knows how some recent monstrosities got approval.
Agreed, start with the Ferry Terminal Nazi monstrosity in West End.
Small man in trouble again.
Please also address contractors who take your money and don’t complete the work or they do a shabby job and leave you helpless. There’s no protection against wicked contractors.
Sure there are: they’re called performance bonds, liquidated damages clauses. Fair to say, in the land of no accountability, these tools may not be useful, alas.
This is the problem. Because some of these contractors know accountability is useless in the BVI they continue to abuse the clients and don’t complete the work or do shabby work. The banks keep giving these contractors the client money to manage when they can’t manage anything. There should be laws to protect residents from these vampires.
Depends on who you are, last name
HOA can pass all the building laws they want but enforcement will remain useless.
The only enforcement in building disputes lies in the hands of the adjacent land owners. An adjacent land owner can commence legal action with a injunction to cease construction until the neighbor’s complaints are addressed by the court and resolved.
I’ll just put two more stories on top don’t think the piles will sink , oh dear look what’s happened.
Architecture fees are killing us.
Construction fees are killing us.
Bank fees are killing us.
For once I would like to see something put in place that helps the consumer.
The building department is a mess. Definitely do not know what their role is when it come to violations.
Have asked them to look into construction that is clearly in violation of building codes and have been told “there is no permit on that building, so it’s not my job”
More rules that are not going to be enforced unless you go to court is just more mess for everyone. Please stop!
Ha ha ha lol..what bunch of the ususl..ignore laws inspectors z and inspection no accountability.. waiting on Armageddon ,it coming and it us going to reach and in One sweep fix all the breach.
Construction standards? What’s that? BVI is just slap stuff together wherever and whenever. Open a bar/restaurant but you don’t need no bathroom, use the public one down the block.
Carve out the hillside, let the lil bit of soil left wash down the hillside to the sea. Just stack up de blocks with a little rebar and call it a retaining wall.
Inferior construction in the BVI will lead to most structures collapsing due to:
Storms: Any kind with strong winds or heavy flooding rains.
Terremotos: Over 5.0 on the Richter scale.
False engineering calculations: A yard of solid concrete weighs 2 tons(4,000lbs). Adding 2nd, 3rd & 4th floors to existing buildings with inadequate foundation.
Subsidence: Undercutting the structures foundation on hillside land.