News

Following the success of the inaugural Building Safety Month in the Cayman Islands last year, the Department of Planning is marking the international campaign for a second time.

Throughout May, the Department will host the following information booths and sessions, where the public will have the opportunity to put their questions to staff:

■ Monday, 6 May – Information Booth, Cox Lumber, 9am – 12pm

■ Friday, 10 May – Public Training Session on how to use the Online Planning System, Government Administration Building, 10am – 12pm

* Please reserve your space by emailing info@planning.gov.ky

■ Saturday, 11 May – Public Information Session on electrical requirements for dwelling units, Family Life Centre, 1pm

■ Friday, 17 May – Information Booth, Foster’s Strand, 11am – 2pm

■ Friday, 24 May & Saturday, 25 May – Information Booth, A.L. Thompson’s, all day

■ Sunday, 26 May – Information Booth, Kirk Home Centre, 10am – 1pm

The Department will also share information on both the government and Ministry of Planning’s social media pages. The Minister for Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure Hon. Joey Hew encouraged members of the public to get involved throughout the month. He said: “Building Safety Month is the perfect opportunity for the public to ask any questions they may have about the planning process, regulations and why it all matters. Together, we can ensure we’re building a safe and sustainable future for everyone in the Cayman Islands.”

The aim of Building Safety Month is to raise awareness of the importance of modern, regularly-updated building codes and to assist individuals and businesses in the creation of safe and sustainable buildings. In addition to educating the public on the importance of building codes, the Department is also providing the public with an opportunity to better understand its processes and structure, to improve their overall customer experience.

In 1991, the Department of Planning produced a Building Code for the Cayman Islands, which was accepted as a working document and tabled in the Legislative Assembly to strengthen development requirements.

“Cayman’s infrastructure is truly among the best in our region, and so much of that is a credit to our Building Codes,” said Director of Planning Haroon Pandohie. “That’s a big part of why we wanted to observe Building Safety Month, we want to take this opportunity to educate the public about the importance of our buildings codes.”