Building Permits, Planning Applications Increase
The Department of Planning said they have noted a marked increase in the number of planning applications received during the period January 1st to June 5th 2014 when compared to that same period of time in 2013, which Minister Michael Fahy said is “undoubtedly a positive sign and indicative of a possible turnaround in the economy or, at least, heightened confidence in Bermuda’s future.”
A spokesperson said, “The total number of planning applications from January 1st to June 5th in 2013 was 196. In 2014 this number is 267. The total number of planning applications which were ‘determined’ [where a decision was made – either approval or refusal] for this period last year was 157 – while that number is 378 so far for this year.
“It was also noted that the time taken to approve planning applications has improved significantly. The percentage of applications to be determined within eight weeks during this period last year was 13 per cent – while it is 29 per cent so far this year. Similarly, the percentage of applications to be determined within twelve weeks during this period last year was 39 per cent – while it is 43 per cent so far this year.
“The average time taken to process planning applications for this period in 2013 was 9.9 weeks while it is only 7.1 weeks for 2014.
“Regarding building permits, which are an indication of the projects that are actually being built, the total number of building permits received by the Department during this period for 2013 was 301 while it is 381 for 2014. Also improved, is the average time taken to process these permits dropping from 7.7 weeks in 2013 to 3.1 weeks for this period in 2014.
The Minister of Home Affairs Michael Fahy said, “As planning application numbers are often good economic indicators, the clear increase so far for 2014 is undoubtedly a positive sign and indicative of a possible turnaround in the economy or, at least, heightened confidence in Bermuda’s future.
“I wish to congratulate the Department of Planning for their improved processing times for applications, further demonstrating their commitment to customer service.”
We needed the OBA 15 years ago!!!!
You do realize Bermuda experienced her greatest economic prosperity under the PLP.
I find it strange that the PLP are labelled as anti business and often blamed for chasing away IB. However, the PLP issued more work permits than anyone else, and were often criticized for this.
How can the greatest issuer of work permits, be anti business?
Some of the Oba not all of them
Agreed this is a definite sign that the confidence in Bermuda is coming back. The PLP must be hating these obviuis signs of a trun around after all their green shouts actually all ended up dying and sinking us into unsustainable debt
Why is that? 15 years ago the economy was taking off like a rocket, soaring what appeared to be endlessly right up until 2oo7. Amnesia?
“heightened confidence in Bermuda’s future”, this is not necessarily true. There has been no improvement in the employment picture and the increase in planning applications can be attributed to folks extending the residential homestead to accommodate family (especially grown adult children) who do not have the means to rent or purchase their own place.
If there was a decrease in the available stock of rental units, an uptick in employment, combined with in increase in planning applications, then we can potentially conclude this is a good sign. Otherwise, this can largely be viewed as a negative.
I personally know many people who are adding on to their house, or building a new unit on vacate land, to accommodate struggling family members.
If the Dept of Planning has a commitment to customer service they need to make sure that all their employees have customer service skills because there is one person who needs 40 days and 40 nights of training. The human at the front desk, boy o boy. End of discussion.
One must agree: “the first impression is a lasting impression”. Yet, in-spite of that fact the increase in applications being applied is great news for Bermuda on a whole:-)
I agree, that woman is always grumpy and miserable.
We’ll done OBA!!! I guess all we will here from the plp talking heads, is ” tree frogs ” I have said it over and over, people will only invest when they start to feel more secure, which certainly was not the case with the ” plp ” I also would like to thank the OBA for getting rid of that plp hand picked truck advisory board down at TCD, for the first time I was granted a truck permit ( my fourth one) without being turned down repeatedly with the other three, which then would waste more of my time fighting those ex hand picked plp imbeciles down there to get the permits!!! All I ever was doing was training new staff, which then meant they would need to have a truck to carry out there job function for me, you would have thought I was just trying to buy trucks for no reason according to those morons, this time it was a breeze under the new OBA picked board at TCD, what a difference an election makes!!!!!!
yawnnnn
wake me up when he starts talking about what happened to the $350k
You mean $800 million, no?
This is great news for everyone. Confidence on the rise translates into jobs for Bermudians.
Great to see things improving in planning. I remember submitting plans and having to wait 7 months for approval. However, in my opinion 7 weeks is still to long.
Bermuda was over built 20 years ago.
The planning department are rude, time waster wannabes, and what’s more they procrastinate on every application to try and justify their existence, even when permit numbers were down their processing time went up, all up there with their embroidered shirts and GP cars, they need some SERIOUS training and perhaps a reminder that the inconvenience at the front desk is the person who helps to pay your over the top salary.