Guyana Chronicle
May 6, 2001
From the desk of Mr. Royston King, Public Relations Officer, City Hall
WITHIN recent times, there have been many questions on buildings damaged by fire or those in ruinous conditions.
Many citizens are not sure of some of these issues and sometimes end up doing the wrong things. This is the reason why the Council seeks to explain such issues in this weekly feature.
According to Georgetown Building By-laws, any building that has been damaged or destroyed by fire, or where the City Engineer certifies to the Council that any building or any pat of a building is in a ruinous condition or is dangerous or is likely to be dangerous to occupants or to passersby, or to occupiers of neighbouring buildings, or is likely to cause or increase the danger of fire, no one shall reconstruct, rebuild, extend, repair or alter any such building without permission of the council.
The City Council may prescribe the kind of materials out of which any building, which has been damaged or destroyed by fire or other agency may be rebuilt, extended or repaired.
Again, the City Engineer has the authority to direct the owner or builder of any building to remove or pull down any part of a building constructed in contravention of the by-law and the owner of builder has an obligation, to comply with the direction of the City Engineer without fourteen (14) days after the date of the service upon him.
It must be noted that it is illegal for any person to pull down or to remove any building from the site on which it stands unless the appropriate notice is given to the City Engineer of his intention to do so.
Also, the owner of the land from which any building is removed have a responsibility to inform the City Engineer, within seven days of such removal.
Every owner who fails to comply the requirements shall be guilty of an offence against the by-laws.
Buildings for Factories and Dangerous Trades Anyone who is desirous of erecting, operating, establishing or carrying on any laboratory, workshop, factory, foundry, smelting house, boat-building establishment, distillery, furnace, engine, electric, motor, or other machine, not being an appliance used exclusively for domestic purposes, must obtain the permission of the City Council.
Under the very By-law, the council has the right to suspend any such permission if after due inquiry into the conditions under which any such facility is operated or carried on the Council is of opinion that such permission ought to be cancelled or suspended.
Otherwise, the council may require the person to whom permission was given to make such alterations or modifications to any such facility as the council may think fit.
Finally, any person who erects, operates or establishes any laboratory, workshop, factory, foundry, smelting house, boat-building establishment, distillery, furnace, engine, electric motor or other machine in contravention of these by-laws shall take down and remove the same within 14 days after the serving upon him a notice by the City Engineer requiring that to be done.
In our next feature, we will look at the Public Health Provisions, for buildings.
If you have any questions of information or clarification on any issue affecting the City then please write to: From the desk of the Public Relations Officer-City Hall Mayor and City Council, Georgetown or call our Public Relations Division on telephone number - 225-2218