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The Cabinet at a meeting held on 20th November, 1997 considered Note (97) 1280/MPT.97 on the subject of the Establishment of a Barbados Building Authority and agreed that a unit should be established in the Division of Public Works and Transport to administer the Barbados National Building Code. According to a Report on the Establishment of the Barbados Building Authority prepared in December 1999 by Mr. Alwyn T. Wason, an OAS/CDMP Consultant, the Authority is to effect the improvement of the building standards in Barbados and will be designed to:

(a) grant building permits for all new construction based on compliance with the requirements of the Code;

(b) establish through the Building Act the enforcement mechanism for ensuring compliance with the standards of the Code;

(c) provide trained technical staff for the review of designs and inspection of construction;

(d) provide trained technical staff for assisting small house owners and house builders in design and construction of houses of less than 100 square metres in gross floor areas;

(e) establish a register of building practitioners - artisans, architects, engineers (engineers are registered under the Engineers Registration Act) - and others involved in the building industry that are qualified to take part in the design and construction of buildings;

(f) enforce and also abide by the provisions of the Act;

(g) work in close cooperation with the Town and Country Planning Department and departments and agencies which have to give consent to applications for the construction of proposed developments;

(h) grant completion certificates for buildings constructed in accordance with the approved plans and terms of the building permits;

(i) approve the qualifications of review consultants for carrying out audits of the design and construction of a specified class of buildings. The consultants will be chosen by the owner and paid by the owner for this task;

(j) charge and collect fees for all applications for building permits. The fees to be charged will be provided for in the Regulations and will be based on the cost of the building. The base of the fees will be such that the fees collected will be adequate to cover the costs of the Authority; and

(k) recommend qualifications and training for building practitioners.