The Developers Manual

The Development and Investment Manual, a sub-project under the Legislation, Regulation and Process Improvement Project, is a collaborative effort between the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, the Government of Jamaica and USAID. The manual seeks to prioritize and streamline key legislation, regulations, and processes within the development process that represent constraints to doing business in Jamaica.

The existing Developer’s’ Manual was revised by the Town Planning Department in 1982. As a result of discussions held with members of the private sector during the preparation of the National Land Policy for Jamaica in the early ‘90s, the government decided to extensively expand this document.  This was determined because Government saw the need for developers and investors to have available a wide variety of information from the various public sector entities on the procedures/guidelines/regulations etc which are required to carry out development/investment projects. The expanded manual includes sections on planning, environment, roads, drainage, drilling of wells, quarrying, mining, sewage, water, and electricity. It also includes information on schools and education, health matters and agriculture.  Each section is separate and complete in its own right and will be made available to developers/investors seeking information on government requirements for any development or investment activity.

The manual provides an "as is" status of the current processes at the numerous government agencies. The current project is aimed at streamlining the processes and eliminating unnecessary steps. It will also address one of the main impediments to obtaining approval for development in Jamaica - time taken for the process and the variations in the interpretation of the rules and regulations among the different government agencies.

The main objective is to re-engineer the Development Approvals Process to ensure that development in Jamaica is performed in an orderly and sustainable manner in line with planning and building regulations, and that permission to develop is determined within 90 days of submission of a complete application.

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