Diallo Rabain, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation says stakeholder meetings are due to begin next month to address concerns
Diallo Rabain, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation speaks with Bermuda Broadcasting at the Department of Planning on Church Street, Hamilton. Photo: Bermuda Broadcasting
Cabinet Minister Diallo Rabain has rejected criticism that a backlog of building permits at the Department of Planning is stifling economic activity.
Minister of Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation, Diallo Rabain, challenged a range of complaints lodged by a local industry contractor in an article claiming there were up to 400 outstanding building permits and a understaffing was slowing down the process of issuing permits.
Asked if there is, in fact, a backlog of planning applications and building permits, Minister Rabain said, “I think that’s actually an unfair statement. Some permits take longer than others….
“Some of the mitigating factors could be the complexity of the project itself, Another mitigating factor could be documentation that just hasn’t been submitted in a form that makes it easily able to be reviewed.”
The Minister, last week, announced a series of stakeholder engagement sessions to meet and collaborate with local construction industry professionals to assess policies within the Department and find solutions to industry complaints.
Minister Rabain described the sessions as a ‘deep dive’ to identify issues and come up with policies to support the work of the Department and those who use its services.
He said, “Is it that we need a better vetting policy of when projects come in so they can be processed quicker than they have been processed?
“There’s a myriad of things that go there and if we need additional staff, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it as well.”
Figures outlining total building permit applications received and granted by the planning department were provided by the Ministry.
In 2023, there were 770 building permit applications submitted and 728 building permits issued. In 2024, there were 749 building permit applications submitted and 574 permits issued to members of the public.
The Minister had further stressed that health and safety, environmental considerations and legislated building codes were a top priority for staff at the Department of Planning.
A review and recommendations for the Department of Planning are due to be complete by September 2025, according to Minister Rabain.
