This department is headed by the Director of Planning and the responsibilities for Development Control are as follows-
- Subdivision Approval
- Building Approval
- Granting permission for enquiry, change of use and outline applications.
- Regulate the erection of Billboards
- Erection and Repair of Street Lights.
- Places of Amusement
Under the law, no land is to be sold, given as a gift or any other building erected on the same land until a sub-division approval is granted.
The Department is also responsible for Preparation of Development Plans and Enforcement under the Town & Country Planning Act.
The Planning Department
The Planning Department serves as the Local Planning Authority for the Parish for which the orderly development of the Parish is entrusted.
The Objectives of the Planning Department includes
1) To establish mechanisms to foster greater community participation to achieve consensus in the development process.
2) To develop and implement appropriate policies, guidelines and systems for sustainable development planning & control to ensure the effective, efficient and responsive delivery of service.
3) To develop the capacity and capability of the Planning Department to effectively manage the planning affairs of the Corporation & the parish.
4) To ensure an open & impartial development approval process in which valued & respected professionals deliver high quality services efficiently & effectively in order to safeguard the public’s interest.
5) To increase the public’s awareness of the role and value of an efficient & effectiveness development approval process.
6) To create & implement a detailed plan for St Catherine, complimented with laws, which would result in sustainable growth and development for the parish.
We process:
Building Application which includes
a) Advertisements
b) Strata Application
c) Application for residential / commercial, institutional, civic building and so on.
d) Change of Use
- Subdivision application
- Streetlight queries
- Residential Lease arrangement on behalf of the Corporation that is on Corporation's properties
We also do project writing on behalf of the Corporation.
Building Applications
1) The Planning Department in conjunction with the Roads & Works Department, undertakes the task of Managing and reviewing all building plans for the Parish under the Building and Town and Country Planning Acts.
2) Reference for approval is guided by the use of Land use plans, zoning and the present governing legislation.
3) Processing fees are charged for building plans at a fixed rate to cover costs incurred for time and evaluation.
4) Monitoring and review of plans are also guided by architectural legislation.
5) The Local Planning Authority has the task of Implementing building codes thus ensuring that building plans meet planning requirements, engineering standards, environmental/ health standards and fire safety standards. This process is carried out in consultation with the Health Department, Fire, the National Works Agency and the National Environment and Planning Agency.
6) Applications are also evaluated to ensure their compliance to stipulated restrictive covenants on the land title.
7) The Corporation also facilitates the involvement of civil society/ community through consultative exercises for some development projects.
Need for Stop & Enforcement Notices
The Corporation has the authority to serve notices if there are:
1) Illegal development
2) Contradicting land uses
3) Misuse of land – commercial in areas zoned for residential
4) Encroachment of rights
5) Blocking of natural or man-made drainage systems.
We are open to the public from Mondays - Thursdays from 8:30am to 5:00pm and Fridays 8:30am - 4:00pm