THE Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) is asking for patience as it works to restore communication channels hit by technical difficulties. But the appeal has not soothed anger among many Corporate Area residents who accuse the local government body of “years of unresponsiveness and weak enforcement” of building codes as developers continue to commit multiple breaches.

The KSAMC, in a public notice last Friday, pointed to difficulties with its switchboard, and sought to assure its constituents that teams were working to resolve the issue, while responding to complaints that arise as soon as they are received.

It encouraged anyone wishing to alert it to problems to send an e-mail to directoradmin.services@cwjamaica.com or customerservice@ksamc.gov.jm.

However, Corporate Area residents have been fuming since the KSAMC’s Senior Building Inspector Duane Allison, in a JIS News Think Tank article, published in January, advised the public that they were welcome to use the municipality’s complaint system to report building code breaches.

Allison further detailed that people could visit the KSAMC website ksamc.gov.jm, select the ‘Report Breaches’ section and submit details online, or call the entity’s hotlines at (876) 967-0585/4195, providing specifics such as the property address and the nature of the breach.

According to a resident who identified herself as Shakera, she was shocked at Allison’s comments as she has been experiencing years of poor communication and customer service at the KSAMC.

“The topic of the article is what really captured our attention… where it states that Jamaicans are encouraged to make complaints on building code breaches. I was very taken aback by that, because after trying to, and actually making complaints over two years at least, as it relates to an approved building permit, we found it was frustrating to even get through on those numbers that have been provided,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

“If you’re lucky enough to reach the operator, they transfer you to the building department and nine to 10 times, nobody answers. You’re constantly having to call back. If you get an answer, it’s just ‘received’ or ‘we will look into it’. But no action,” Shakera explained.

According to her, only after the matter reached ministerial level did a building inspector visit the site in question, issue a verbal warning, and begin monitoring.

In Beverly Hills, the citizens’ association said residents are grappling with illegal construction hours, missing permits, and environmental disruption.

Speaking on behalf of the association, a representative who requested anonymity said Sunday construction has become routine, with little intervention by the local authorities even after complaints are made.

According to the Building Act (2018), construction activity, including erection, alteration, repair, and dismantling, is prohibited on Sundays and on public holidays.

“If we’re lucky enough to have the number of the site contractor, we can call them and sometimes we’re told that they had been given special permission to work on a Sunday, but yet they provide no proof. They’re supposed to post the permits on the front wall so anybody can stop by and read about the project, [but] that’s not happening consistently. We have several properties in the community that have no labelling, no signage, nothing. But we have sites with nothing at all, and the KSAMC isn’t checking,” the spokeswoman complained.

Dust, noise, and improper dumping of concrete onto roads have become major issues, the representative added.

“You’ll wake up and see a big mound of concrete dumped on the side of the road. Residents have to check camera footage themselves to figure out which truck did it. That shouldn’t be our job,” she said.

Several attempts by the Observer to contact Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby for a response to the complaints yielded no results.

A resident from Sandhurst Crescent, who spoke on behalf of her citizens’ group, said construction in her neighbourhood has accelerated without transparency or notice.

“We’re not against development,” she said, “but we were told notices would be at the post office or posted on gates. None of that has happened.”

She said residents have no clarity on whether new structures are approved townhouses, apartments, or multi-storey complexes.

“You don’t know what’s being built until it’s completed,” she added. “We’ve had damage to the road, heavy dumping, water disruptions, and we have no idea how tall these buildings will be or how many people will live in them.”

The resident said concerns about fire safety, access for emergency vehicles, and sewage capacity have gone unanswered.

“One KSAMC officer told us they don’t have enough building inspectors, so how are they approving these high-rise buildings? If there’s a fire, how does a fire truck even get in?”

She also questioned what she described as a lack of urban planning clarity.

“What is the vision? Are we getting flat houses, high-rises, mixed-use buildings? Nobody can tell us. We would really love answers.”

Residents say they hope the restoration of the KSAMC’s communication systems will lead to more responsiveness. However, they remain sceptical, pointing out that most of their concerns long pre-date the confirmed outage.

Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby. Several attempts to get him for a response yielded no results.