KINGSTON, Jamaica – The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is reporting that the entire island is now covered by at least one provisional development order.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Everald Warmington, said this is a significant improvement from the status in 2017 “where coverage was limited to 40 per cent of the country”.

He was making his contribution to the 2021/22 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

A Development order is a legal document that sets out the framework, guidelines and policies for planning and development in parishes and communities. It enables the local planning authority and/or the town and country planning authority to regulate land developments within the area defined as the development order area.

Warmington said that during the 2020/21 financial year, confirmation notices for the Westmoreland Area Provisional Development Order, 2018 and the St Elizabeth Provisional Development Order, 2018 were prepared and approved by the Town and Country Planning Authority and submitted to the ministry for final confirmation.

He said that confirmation notifications for five additional provisional development orders are being finalised for submission to the Town and Country Planning Authority for approval and then to the minister.

These are the St Thomas Provisional Development Order, 2018; the Hanover Area Provisional Development Order, 2018; the St James Provisional Development Order, 2018; the Kingston & St Andrew and Pedro Cays Provisional Development Order, 2017; and the Municipality of Portmore Development Order, 2018.

He further informed that NEPA plans to finalise and prepare provisional development orders for St Ann in 2021/22, Manchester – 2022/23, Trelawny – 2023/24 and Negril and Green Island – 2024/25.

In the meantime, Warmington told the House that the Jamaica Development Applications Portal (JDAP) was successfully launched to a select user group, including some developers.

The portal facilitates the electronic submission of development applications by developers for the three pilot municipal corporations of Kingston and St Andrew, St Ann, and St James.

He said the Memorandum of Understanding for the shared cost and the operation of the portal was signed by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, NEPA, and other relevant parties.

 “Upon successful completion and resolution of teething issues, this portal will be rolled out in other municipal corporations and will greatly assist the Government in reducing the time taken by the relevant agencies to assess development applications,” he said.