ABOUT A THIRD of the 3 500 building applications which are sent to the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) yearly for approval contain insufficient information.

This disclosure has come from chief building officer at EPD, Sylvan Catwell, who said the documents could not be processed until the department requested and received additional information from the developer or his agent.

EPD enforces the Health Services Act, Cap 44 and Regulations related to building development control. The Chief Town Planner is required to forward all applications for the construction, extension or material alteration of a building to the department for independent review and approval.

Catwell said that while some issues were major, others were "simple". For example, under ventilation, waste water disposal issues and people not indicating where the disposal systems would be located, were some of these.

"There are some simple issues that architects and draughtsmen need to be reminded of for us to get the process going quicker. We want them to familiarise themselves with the Health Services Regulation and call the department so we can answer any concerns they may have in relation to the interpretation of this regulation," he stated.

Deputy director of the department, Anthony Headley, agreed that people involved in the industry should acquaint themselves with the Health Services Act, stating that it would mitigate the waiting period, which was usually four to six weeks for residential applications and a longer period for commercial and industrial establishments.

Headley said some of the applications he saw had no supportive information to facilitate accurate interpretation of the plans. "At times when we go in to do investigations, post application stage, we recognise that material alterations have been made. Under the existing regulations, basically, you are not to make material alterations that are significant that can have effects on the healthy state of a building, without informing the Minister of Health. We are the agents of the Minister of Health and hence, we need to know when these things are being done to ensure that they comply with the Health Services Act," he emphasised. (BGIS)