Attempts to address inefficiencies within the Department of Planning have been praised by a senior construction chief.

Alex DeCouto, the co-chairman of the construction division of the Chamber of Commerce, spoke out after Diallo Rabain, the Minister of the Cabinet Office and Digital Information, conceded that the department was “not meeting expectations” and changes needed to be made.

Mr Rabain was responding to claims this week by construction bosses that inefficiencies within the department were creating a backlog of planning approvals.

The bottleneck had left construction companies unsure of when their next jobs would kick in, industry bosses claimed.

Last night, Mr DeCouto, who is also the head of construction company Greymane, agreed that there were issues with planning backlogs — but also praised the Government for recognising the problem and addressing it.

Mr DeCouto also emphasised that, according to the data, the number of planning approvals had not dropped in recent months.

He said: “Like the minister, the executive committee of the construction division of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce has received consistent feedback from industry stakeholders regarding delays and challenges with the processing of planning and building control applications.

“The CSS Portal on the Department of Planning’s website provides one of the few tools available for tracking real-time data on application volumes and processing timelines.

“The construction division reviews this data monthly and reports to the Chamber Board, using it as a key leading indicator for activity in the local construction sector.

“At a high level, the data suggests that application volumes and average processing speeds have remained relatively steady over recent years.

“However, averages can obscure significant outliers — and it is increasingly clear that some applications are experiencing substantial delays.

“There is no question that the level of concern within the industry warrants closer scrutiny.“

Mr DeCouto added that because there is typically a five-year period before a building permit expires, a backlog usually exists of previously approved permits waiting to be acted upon.

He added: “In slower economic periods, contractors start dipping into this backlog more aggressively.”

Mr DeCouto said that the industry was “actively starting more projects than are being newly approved — a clear sign that the sector is hungry for work”.

He explained: “In the last three years, 2,010 permits were approved, yet there have been 2,290 commencement inspections [which take place after a construction project has actually started] — further supporting the idea that there’s been a run on shelved projects.

“This matters because it shows how sensitive the industry is to the pace of new approvals.

“If we’re already burning through backlogged permits to keep busy, any slowdown in approvals starts to bite quickly — leading to real impacts for contractors, architects and clients alike, which is not to say that concerns around processing delays and the need for improvements are not legitimate.

“Both statements can be true.”

Mr DeCouto said: “We welcome the opportunity to participate and contribute constructively to any efforts aimed at improving efficiency, transparency and responsiveness in the permitting process.“