Dear Editor,
Please permit me the opportunity to address an important issue related to the City‘s building regulations. The fact is the construction industry is on the rise in the City. Hence, the Council is encouraging prospective builders to ensure that they observe the building regulations enshrined in the Municipal and District Council Act Chapter 28:01.
It must be noted that before the commencement of any construction within the City, whether it is residential or commercial the builder should secure written permission; this comes in the form of a letter from the City Engineer. This is consistent with the Municipal and District Council Act 28:01 Georgetown Building by Laws (4) which states that:
4 ( 1)No person shall erect a new building or alter or add to any existing building or execute any structural works to any building unless he shall lay over with such notice a plan of the new building or of the alteration or addition to the existing building or of the structural work for approval by the City Engineers.
(2) Also, every approval by the City Engineer of a plan shall be in writing at the foot of the plan approved.
(a) It shall state the purpose for which the building is intended to be used;
(b) It shall be drawn in ink on drawing paper or trace lines of good quality to scale of not less than one inch to every eight feet.
(c) It shall show the ground position and outline of the new building, the elevation and dimension thereof and the distance of the walls from the boundary lines of the land on which it is proposed to erect the same and from every other building or erection on that land and, in the case of a new building of several storeys thereof.
(d)It shall show the position and dimension of every water closet, gully, drain or other house connection on the land;
(e)In the case of alteration or addition to an existing building, it shall show the position, outlined and the dimension of every part of the alteration or addition intended to be made to the existing building and also comply with the requirements of subparagraph( a)(b) of this by-laws;
Before a plan is approved, the City Engineer checks the plan to ensure that it is consistent with the building by-laws.
The prospective builder is required to submit to the City Engineer’s Department; three copies of a building plan, certified copies of the ownership (Transport, Title, and Lease), current general rates receipt, geo-technical and design report and a processing fee of five thousand dollars which is payable to the City Treasurer’s Department.
It must be noted that the City Engineer’s Department is not the only entity that checks plans for conformity. If the construction falls within a sewage area for example; Wortmanville, Bourda or Lacytown; the officers of the Guyana Water Inc. have a critical role to play in ensuring that the construction does not compromise sewage chambers located within the specific site.
Also, if the building is to be used for commercial purposes the Central Housing and Planning Authority is responsible for providing land use clearance.
However, what has been observed is that some persons submit plans without the necessary prerequisites. There are cases where others have not met the requirements and would sometimes submit documents, and proceed without the written approval of the City Engineer.
The City Engineer’s approval is vital, as it stays in accordance with the building codes, which falls under Chapter 28:01. The Council encourages prospective builders to visit the City Engineer’s Department so that they can be properly guided on the application process before proceeding with construction.
Yours faithfully,
Debra Lewis
Public Relations Officer,
City Hall
