By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net 

THE Davis administration has begun the first phase of a long-promised overhaul of The Bahamas Building Code, starting with new standards for public infrastructure and coastal defences designed to make the country more resilient to hurricanes and climate change.

Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting yesterday tabled in the House of Assembly the Cabinet minute authorising the partial code update, along with the Mott MacDonald report that lays out detailed recommendations for modernising the nation’s construction standards.

The Cabinet decision, made on September 30, approved only those portions of the draft building code that apply to public works, while ordering the consolidation of all amendments to the existing 2003 Building Code into a single reprint. The move marks the first step toward a full rewrite of national construction standards, a process supported by funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

According to the minute tabled by Mr Sweeting, Cabinet accepted the new Coastal Infrastructure Design Guidance Notes and Energy Guidance Notes produced under the project and directed that both be tabled in Parliament. Both were tabled yesterday. The minute also instructed the Office of the Attorney General to take immediate action to make the approved amendments legally effective.

Mr MacDonald’s 125-page report outlines best practices for planning, designing, and maintaining coastal infrastructure, aiming to close gaps in the existing code. It emphasises risk management, data reliability, and climate resilience across the full project lifecycle.

The document classifies coastal projects by their potential consequences of failure, setting stricter protection standards for critical infrastructure such as energy facilities and population centres. It also calls for stronger data collection and sharing to improve design reliability and urges developers and planners to balance safety, environmental sustainability, and cost.

The move to amend the country’s building code, long considered one of the strongest in the world, followed Hurricane Dorian in 2019, which caused an estimated $.487 billion impact on the housing sector in Abaco and Grand Bahama.

The building code was first introduced in 1971 and updated several time since, most recently in 2003. Experts have highlighted inconsistent enforcement and compliance with the building code.

Last year, Mr Sweeting said proposed Building Regulation Act amendments will introduce independent inspectors, registered architects, and engineers to assist with inspections.