The Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation has acknowledged that there were serious lapses in its monitoring processes in relation to the development of a townhouse at Weycliffe Close, Beverly Hills, St. Andrew.

The KSAMC was chided by the Integrity Commission (IC) for not doing proper inspection and monitoring of the development. 

In a statement following an internal  investigation into the matter, Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby noted that these lapses have compromised the KSAMC’s ability to enforce compliance effectively.

Mr. Swaby made the acknowledgement eight days after the IC noted in its report that there was a breach of the building laws in relation to the development.

In his statement, Mayor Swaby described the lapses as unacceptable.

He said the KSAMC recognizes the need for immediate corrective measures and is committed to addressing these deficiencies.

This includes identifying reforms for implementation to strengthen its compliance processes, and conducting a comprehensive review of procedures to ensure thorough inspections at all stages of construction. 

Meanwhile, Mayor Swaby noted that the report submitted to him by KSAMC’s Chief Engineering Officer outlined breaches of the approved building permit issued to Estatebridge Holdings Limited, the owner of the development. 

The statement said the breaches observed related to the basement and the ground and first floors.

Following the IC’s report last week, the Directors of Estatebridge Holdings Limited categorically rejected its findings that the development has four bedrooms, instead of the approved two bedroom units. 

The directors noted that at no time did the KSAMC observe a breach in the room count. 

On this matter, the KSAMC statement said the partition walls referenced in the IC’s findings, which were accompanied by photographs from its site visits, were not present during its  inspection on October 31.  

According to the statement, this suggests that modifications had been made to the structure before KSAMC’s site visit.

It added that the Chief Engineering Officer’s report could not refute the IC’s claim that four bedroom units were being constructed at an earlier stage.

Mayor Swaby said Estatebridge submitted an application to the KSAMC seeking to regularize the changes observed on the October 31 visit, the same day the IC tabled its report in Parliament. 

He noted that KSAMC’s internal assessment revealed that the building permit issued to the developer expired on July 6, 2023. 

Mayor Swaby admitted that the KSAMC failed to take action to halt construction after the permit expired, allowing work to continue without authorization or oversight. 

In addition to the corrective measures, the Mayor said come January, the KSAMC will engage an independent external specialist with expertise in building regulations and compliance to guide the reform process.