Samoan Ministry Issues Warning to All Who Don’t Follow Building Laws
Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) chief executive officer Ulu Bismark Crawley has warned that no one can bypass the regulatory process overseen by their Planning and Urban Management Agency (PUMA). The CEO said a development consent permit – which is issued by the PUMA to anyone who plans to build a structure – is applicable to everyone including members of the public, Government officials and politicians.
“The development consent (permit) issued for any development applies to everyone. The Government ministries also apply for development consent permits for their projects and so should everyone.
“No one is above the law and there are also clauses under this Act that levels penalties if one does not obey the law,” he said in an interview with Samoa Observer.
He said all development consent forms submitted to the PUMA is deliberated on by the Land Board before it makes a decision. “And that PUMA laws ensure that your development does not have an impact on others. You want to build something or dig a hole – one must retain a development consent permit – that is the process. “While it is your land, but you must con- sider the impact your development will have on others. Do you want to live in a community or by yourself, this is the whole process and that your actions impact on the other person.” Samoa Observer