Persons can appeal rejected applications under new single-window system

The lead consultant for the single-window application system, Fareed Amin on Wednesday said that the system would feature a planning tribunal where persons who have had their applications rejected can appeal and possibly have them approved as provided by the single-window legislation.
He was at the time speaking at the Central Housing and Planning Authority’s third consultation.
According to Amin, “so what the legislation provides for is a planning tribunal, so if someone feels aggrieved by a decision of the CH&PA, or someone else who is authorised to make that decision, they can appeal that decision to the planning tribunal. And the legislation specifies that that appeal has to occur within a certain number of days. The planning tribunal decision is final unless that decision impacts…a national policy.”
He added that systems would also be in place to support paper-based submissions for persons who are unable to submit electronic applications.
“While we are encouraging and promoting the electronic portal, and for individuals to go on the portal and submit their applications electronically, there is a recognition that in certain parts of the country, someone may not be able to submit their application online. Recognising that, what we’re proposing is that we will accept paper-based application as an exception, but the individual who is intaking that paper-based application will create an electronic file, will scan that information and upload it into the system,” he explained.
Amin also announced that they were expecting to start internal and possibly external training in May, and would subsequently be testing and deploying the software in the latter part of June. The system is expected to go live on July 1 of this year.
“We are going to start training internally and potentially outside in May [and] testing and deployment some time toward the latter parts of June and then hopefully we’re looking at implementing it some time in July,” Amin said.
He also announced that they would be launching a public relations and education campaign to disseminate information throughout the country on the proper use of the system. Over the next few days, a number of other regulatory agencies, and Government and Private Sector bodies will be engaged in another round of consultation.
The single-window process is a strategy implemented by the Government to integrate agencies’ approach to services, efficiency, and to significantly reduce the processing time for planning and building permission.
The legislative framework now paves the way for, among other things, standardised application forms and checklists, as well as minimising the time for completing a transaction.
Further, the electrical portal will enable investors to submit planning and building permits and check the status from anywhere around the globe, as this new mechanism forms part of the Government’s attempt to increase the ease of doing business and foster a business-friendly environment.
In December 2022, a $202 million contract was signed with Global Services – a Guyanese-led consortium with global experience – to make the issuance of planning and building permits hassle-free. The company was tasked with providing a server and network infrastructure; security solutions; and hardware and software maintenance and repairs.
The single-window system will feature five key elements including one-window access to allow the CH&PA to be the point of entry for planning and building applications; as well as a dashboard to show the status of individual applications and generate progress reports, which can also be accessed by applicants. Another feature of the system is a time-bound element by which the relevant agencies will have to respond to applications otherwise they would automatically be considered approved.