GUYANESE looking to conduct business in the housing and construction industries will now be able to do so hassle-free, following the passage of the Planning and Development Single Window System Bill just before midnight in the National Assembly last Thursday.
During the third reading of the bill, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal said the amendments that preceded the conclusion of deliberations on the bill take into consideration Guyana’s changing dynamics in terms of electronic payments.

It also gives Guyanese the opportunity to access the relevant information they need from any part of the country.
“We are intending as a country to improve our positioning and the actuality of doing business and the ease of doing business, reducing, therefore, a number of frustrations,” Croal said.

The updated legislation, he further said, will see business transactions being done in a timely and transparent manner.
“This intervention will become a necessary tool for doing business and, therefore, the gaps will be reduced, and the deficiencies that we have in the system that have been frustrating applicants [will be addressed].

“This platform, Mr. Speaker, will bring predictability, will eliminate bureaucracy, bring total transparency to the table and most importantly it will bring to bear what the deficiencies you see in the system, whereby applications are done,” the Housing and Water Minister said, adding: “One can describe this bill as a landmark one for our country.”

The bill aims to ease the burdensome planning process by introducing a single-window electronic processing system.
This system will enhance business efficiency, particularly in the housing and construction industries, which have been experiencing significant growth.

The legislation now includes provisions for the establishment of a Planning Oversight Committee, which will centralise functions related to land-use preparation and development. It also aims to define the committee’s responsibilities and associated matters.
Several agencies will become part of the single window. This includes Central Board of Health, the Ministry of Public Works, River and Defence Board, Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, Guyana Fire Service, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, National Trust of Guyana, Guyana Office for Investment, Land and registry Deeds registry, Guyana Water Incorporated, all Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and the local authorities, inclusive of the municipalities among other agencies.
The implementation of the single-window system forms part of the government’s efforts to create a business-friendly environment, and improve the ease of doing business through an electronic portal that allows investors to submit planning and building permits, and check the status of the permits from anywhere in the world.